From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Foundation for a Drug-Free World

Scientology-affiliated anti-drug organization

Summary

Scientology-affiliated anti-drug organization

Field	Value
image	Foundation for a Drug-Free World.png
image_size	150px
type	Non-profit (religious)
tax_id	20-5812172
founded_date
location	6331 Hollywood Blvd, Suite 710, Los Angeles, California, United States
parent_organization	Church of Scientology
key_people
area_served	Worldwide
focus	Drug abuse prevention
method	Anti-drug booklets, public service announcements, drug awareness events
homepage

Foundation for a Drug-Free World (FDFW) is a nonprofit organization operated by the Church of Scientology with a focus on the elimination of drug and alcohol abuse and its resulting criminality. It was established in October 2006 in Los Angeles, California. There has been controversy about the claims made by FDFW and about its support by public organizations who were not aware of its link to Scientology.

FDFW uses the self-produced Truth About Drugs campaign materials for drug education and has been described as "discredited pseudoscience" and without "pharmacological basis" by health care professionals. The program has been accused of scaremongering by health care professionals, for claims such as cocaine withdrawal can cause severe depression which can lead to the addict committing murder.

Relation to Scientology and Narconon

In 2012, the Santa Ana Police Department distributed anti-drug pamphlets provided by FDFW for a Drug-Free World. A reporter called the contact number on the pamphlets and asked where to get help for drug abuse. He was directed to Narconon Arrowhead, the flagship rehab center of Narconon International, which is classified as a Scientology related entity by the Internal Revenue Service. The SAPD withdrew the pamphlets after the reported link.

The "Drug-Free Marshal" program started in November 2008, at Las Cruces, New Mexico. Foundation for a Drug-Free World supplied the pamphlets, at the bottom of which contained a notice of copyright by Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Narconon and Association for Better Living and Education, all programs sponsored by the Church of Scientology. After the city mayor found out that the anti-drug program was created and bankrolled by the Church of Scientology, he apologized and ended the program.

After an investigation by the State of California into the Narconon anti-drug education program, State Superintendent Jack O'Connell urged all California schools to drop the program for its inaccurate and unscientific information{{Cite news |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130715092716/http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Schools-urged-to-drop-antidrug-program-2728677.php |archive-date = 2013-07-15 |url-status = live

In 2017 in Santa Monica High School after a pupil's LSD related death, FDFW presented seminars to pupils in the school. But when made aware of the connection to the Church of Scientology, a number of parents complained and the program was halted. The church responded publicly in a press statement and accused Santa Monica High School of bigotry and religious discrimination.

References

Meiring, Maurithus. (December 16, 2015). "Legal notice".
"Who We Are".
"What is the Foundation for a Drug Free World?".
(April 20, 2023). "Schools urged to be vigilant amid reports of targeting by 'cult'".
(2015-01-30). "Scientology Defends Its Anti-Weed Hokum". Daily Beast.
(2015-01-29). "Parents Outraged After Scientology-Sponsored Group Delivers Anti-Drug Messages At New York City Schools".
(2015-01-28). "A Scientology-Run Anti-Drug Group Works Extensively in New York City Schools".
(2012-05-16). "Anti-drug Pamphlets Linked to Scientology Gone From Santa Ana Police Department".
Meeks, Ashley. (2008-12-08). "Mayor abandons anti-drug program affiliated with Church of Scientology".
(2017-05-14). "School Accidentally Hired Church of Scientology-Backed Group to Teach Drug Education". The Daily Beast.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

addiction-organizations-in-the-united-states scientology-organizations drug-policy-organizations-based-in-the-united-states

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Foundation for a Drug-Free World — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report