Concerns about rising drug use prompt Japanese Scientologists to double their drug education and prevention efforts 

According to this year’s World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Japan has fewer drug users than most other countries.

But Japanese officials and national police are still concerned. In August, Naoto Takeuchi of Japan's National Police Agency expressed apprehension over “an alarming increase of drugs coming from North Korea” and how this could impact society.

As a result, The Truth About Drugs booklets have become a popular and effective tool in combating drug abuse. Japanese Scientologists gather on weekends in busy neighborhoods to hand out copies.

The most popular drug in Japan is methamphetamine, with marijuana, amphetamines and Ecstasy becoming more fashionable. And recently, the use of dangerous synthetic marijuana has been on the rise.

Scientologists from the Church of Scientology of Tokyo, working with nongovernmental organizations, educators and public officials, are countering this trend through consistent drug education and prevention activities.

Using the Truth About Drugs curriculum materials, volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Tokyo have reached tens of thousands of children and teens through drug education lectures in Japanese schools. They organize drug abuse prevention workshops and symposia, see to the airing of the “They Said, They Lied” public service announcements on Japanese TV, and produce a drug education radio show.

Their actions are part of an international movement to eliminate drug abuse and addiction. The Church of Scientology has published a new 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 supports. To learn more or to read a copy of the brochure, visit the Scientology website at Scientology.org/antidrug.

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.”

The Church of Scientology supports the Truth About Drugs, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.