Volunteering to Make Drug-Free Lives

As a new push in its 25-year initiative to combat drug abuse, The Church of Scientology has released a new publication: Scientology: How We Help—The Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World. The Church’s campaign has inspired hard-working volunteers in all walks of life who have made real impact in combating the abuse of drugs.

The campaign is centered in the support that the Church provides to the Foundation for a Drug Free World, a worldwide network of volunteers who participate in secular education and information campaigns to fight drug abuse. The Church publishes Truth About Drugs documentary and related information booklets, banners, posters, and educator kits, making them available free of charge to Foundation volunteers, health educators, law enforcement officers and other drug prevention specialists.

Maxine Chapman first watched the Truth About Drugs documentary with her 11 year old daughter. The impact was so great that her 11 year old wrote a poem about it and convinced a friend not to try marijuana, which she had planned to do.

Chapman said she realized that, “If more parents had this information and showed it to their kids then they would stand a better chance in making correct decisions.”

Chapman got additional copies of the DVD from the Foundation for a Drug Free World and began distributing it to contacts in the local schools, health department and Sheriff’s Department.

A hairdresser by profession, Chapman by chance began discussing the program with a customer who happened to be a warden of a correctional institution. The warden took a copy of the film and showed it to the inmates on movie night at the prison. She was blown away by their response to it and asked Maxine to deliver a seminar for the prisoners.

This quickly developed into a full drug education program for the prison utilizing the materials produced by the Foundation for a Drug Free World and donated by other volunteers and businesses in the community. 

Now there are more than 440 graduates of the program since its inception in 2010. A number of them have completed their sentence and have gone on to lead productive roles in society, with several taking a leadership role in drug prevention programs so they can share with others the gains they had through effective education and a changed life.

“Doing this kind of volunteering makes me feel that I am of value to society.” Chapman said. “It makes me feel good that I have helped someone. I believe that if we eradicated drugs from society we would empty out the jails and prisons and that would make a better world for all of us to live in.”

Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, Chapman moved to Spring Hill in 1999.  She has been a volunteer with the Foundation for a Drug Free World since 2006.

The Church of Scientology has published the brochure, Scientology: How We Help—the Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World, to meet requests for more information about the drug education and prevention initiative it sponsors. To read a copy of the brochure or to learn more about the Church of Scientology supported drug education program, visit the Scientology website at http://www.scientology.org/how-we-help/truth-about-drugs.html.

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Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard 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.”