THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS
Drug abuse has reached pandemic proportions on every continent of Earth.
With it comes crime and shattered lives. So for that reason, the IAS provides grants to fund The Truth About Drugs education and prevention program—to reach kids before the dealers do.
It’s been proven over and over: when people know what drugs actually do, they are more likely to choose on their own to never use them.
The program is hard-hitting and features interviews with former users who tell. They know they’re lucky to be alive and work to prevent others from taking the same ruinous gamble with their lives.
The program’s drug-education package contains booklets and DVDs that actually impinge, making a real difference in the planet’s drug problem.
Drugs are destroying our civilization, as well as mercilessly obstructing case progress. Specifically LRH wrote: “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”
In terms of sheer numbers, nearly a quarter of a billion people use illicit drugs internationally—and the death toll from drug overdose surpasses 180,000 every year.
Striking at the heart of this global pandemic, the IAS sponsors The Truth About Drugs program—the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention program. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World has placed more than 24,000 drug education packages into the hands of teachers for full classroom implementation.
The centerpiece of the campaign is the fourteen Truth About Drugs booklets that present the facts and figures on the most commonly used drugs: marijuana, alcohol, Ecstasy, cocaine, crack, crystal meth, Ritalin, inhalants, heroin, LSD, prescription drugs, painkillers and synthetics—recently added to the program materials in response to devastating spikes in usage around the world.
The campaign also includes The Truth About Drugs documentary, featuring testimony from those who lived to tell their story—updated with a chapter on the disastrous effects of synthetic drugs. The documentary, in combination with the booklets and PSAs, form the backbone of the curriculum for educators.
Not only is the program incorporated into school curricula across the globe, but more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies have also used these materials to help keep kids off drugs.
To reinforce and flank these actions, Truth About Drugs public service announcements feature the message, “They Said, They Lied.” Our PSAs are aired broadly, aimed at youth, and have shown unprecedented success in grabbing their attention and bringing home to them the dangers of drugs. More than 500 television stations in over 100 countries have aired these PSAs.
With The Truth About Drugs campaign now reaching more than half a billion people each and every year, the IAS stands at the forefront of a worldwide movement to eradicate drug abuse.
A family came to me five months ago. The young lady was addicted to crystal meth at that time. I remember the first time they walked into my office, I put in the young lady’s hand one of the booklets about The Truth About Drugs. To make a long story short, it’s been five months that she’s been clean.
I have used The Truth About Drugs materials and will continue to do so. The material is very rich and useful. There is strong interest and commitment by students to inform themselves about drugs and protect their health.
There’s one young man who came to our prevention program because he was court-mandated. He is now a police officer as a result of applying The Truth About Drugs material. And there’s been numerous youth who have gone on to college simply because they’ve learned the truth about drugs.
I wanted to share with you the impact your curriculum has had on a former student of mine. She is in high school now, but when she was in sixth grade she learned everything from your program. She recently wrote me this email: ‘I just wanted to tell you to NEVER stop teaching those drug lessons. Honestly, middle school is a jungle, and so many kids are smoking and doing things that I just can’t wrap my mind around. It seemed like everyone was doing drugs. I have to admit that if I didn’t know the truth about drugs, I might have succumbed to the peer pressure, but thankfully, I am very against drugs because of what you taught me. Thank you for caring enough to do that for your students. Please never stop! Kids need to be informed so they can make the right decisions. I just wanted to tell you that!’
Drug arrests were about five a week for drug abuse or drug possession. Since the implementation of the program, we have not made a single arrest.
I implemented The Truth About Drugs last school year. This is the best program I’ve come across. The videos accompanying each lesson have been priceless in painting a real picture of the dangers of the drug world for the students. More students than ever approach me and tell me how frightening and awful the drug world looks. The most noteworthy change is that they are able to see the reality of drug use and it is unsettling to them. I think it’s important, beginning at the middle school level, to show the truth and this program does just that.
I have used the Truth About Drugs program for two years. I especially like the videos. They keep the students’ attention. Students are learning so much about drugs and finding that they don’t know everything they thought they knew. A lot of my students had no idea what was in the drugs and were shocked about things they learned after going through the program. Many promised to never, ever do drugs. I have had two different teachers join our 7th grade who did this program with me. They loved it and helped me put on a ‘Drug Day’ attended by 700 people at our middle school.
