300 Scientology Volunteers Distribute 500,000 Drug-Prevention Booklets during Winter Olympics
Italy Boosts Drug Awareness
MILAN, Italy — 12 February 2026 — A volunteer network of around 300 people has been active since January in a nationwide drug-prevention initiative in Italy. They are distributing educational materials titled “The Truth About Drugs”. Reports show volunteers have handed out more than 500,000 booklets, with Milan leading the effort and other Italian cities increasingly joining. The outreach is supported by the European Office of the Church of Scientology, which continues to back community-based drug education inspired by L. Ron Hubbard.
The campaign provides clear, accessible explanations of commonly abused substances, their short- and long-term effects, and the risks to physical and mental health. Volunteers place fact-based information in streets, public areas, and community spaces. This helps teenagers and families recognize risks early and make informed choices before experimentation becomes a habit.
The booklets describe various substances and their harms. Volunteers note that the materials are easy to understand without specialist knowledge and often start conversations where young people face peer pressure or misleading narratives.
Community Drives Youth Prevention
Across Europe, prevention is not only a health policy issue but also a social one. Drug markets often target vulnerable youth, normalize first use, and draw adolescents into cycles of dependence. Organisers argue that distributing verified information at the community level supports youth safety and strengthens social resilience. This approach also helps teenagers identify manipulation and resist pressure.
Athlete participation in the outreach is growing. Julie Delvaux, a Belgian volunteer, stated that more than 100 athletes linked to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics signed the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Honorary Register. They show support for youth-focused drug-prevention messaging.
European Parliament Vice-President Antonella Sberna highlighted sustained investment in grassroots sport and civic participation during a debate in Strasbourg on 6 October 2025. She said, “European policies must continue to invest in local sports infrastructure, volunteering, and youth participation.” Organisers say that local volunteers and youth engagement reflect this same emphasis on community involvement.
Sport Amplifies Drug Awareness
Sport offers a natural platform for prevention conversations because it connects with discipline, performance, recovery, mental focus, and long-term wellbeing. Volunteers report that athletes’ public support for prevention messages helps counter the idea that drug use is harmless, especially for young people who look to elite sport as a model for healthy living.
On 6 February 2026, the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Opening Ceremony day, around 100 volunteers distributed over 100,000 booklets in a single day. They leveraged the concentration of visitors and public attention in the city.
The distribution started in January and has now surpassed 500,000 booklets. Volunteers will continue to maintain a presence in multiple cities and expand into additional neighborhoods as local capacity grows.
Youth Drug Trends Europe
Recent reporting highlights why prevention remains a key policy concern. A Reuters report (25 June 2024), based on an annual Italian government report, found that 39% of Italians aged 15 to 19 had consumed illegal substances at least once. The report also noted youth exposure to cocaine and cannabis products and trends returning toward pre-pandemic levels.
For readers seeking original documentation, Italy’s official reporting on the drug phenomenon is published through the national anti-drug policy structures; an English-language version of the annual report to Parliament includes data and context on youth patterns and substance categories.
At the European level, monitoring shows shifting patterns among younger teens. Risks remain significant and uneven across countries. The EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) overview of the latest ESPAD survey results highlights trends among 15–16-year-old students, showing that prevention strategies must adapt to changing behaviors and new risks.
Organisers’ Perspective: Prevention Disrupts First Use
Jessica Hochman, Executive Director of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, explains that drug markets depend on first use becoming normalized. Prevention disrupts this pathway. When young people understand what drugs do to their bodies, curiosity often decreases. (See: the campaign statement distributed via PR Newswire.)
The campaign focuses on providing information in a readable form rather than moralizing. The initiative is prompted by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World,. This approach reduces the space for myths that portray drugs as harmless experimentation. The Foundation has distributed 100 million booklets worldwide, held events in 180 countries, and aired public service announcements through multiple broadcasters.
Scaling Community Drug Prevention
Organisers say that standardized materials, translations, and volunteer coordination support rapid scaling when local communities prioritize prevention. They emphasize practical, short, repeatable distribution activities. Families, educators, and community groups can also use the materials as references.
Support from the Church of Scientology has helped make educational materials widely available. Drug education is part of a broader set of social and humanitarian initiatives inspired by L. Ron Hubbard.
Volunteer distributions complement other community activities, strengthening neighborhood support systems and reducing harm from illicit markets.
Information Strengthens Youth Protection
Ivan Arjona, Church representative, said: “Drug prevention is not only about individual behavior but also social environment. Illicit markets intersect with violence, recruitment, and coercion that pull teenagers into harmful networks.” He added, “Accessible information is a protective tool: it supports informed choice, lowers the likelihood of first use, and helps communities limit the space for exploitation.”
Arjona connects the initiative to European civic priorities: protecting youth, strengthening social cohesion, and resisting criminal exploitation.
“Across Europe, protecting young people is not only a health objective but a civic duty. Drug markets thrive where vulnerability can be exploited and where misinformation lowers the perceived risk of ‘trying’. Providing verified, understandable information strengthens autonomy and informed choice, and it helps communities reduce the social space in which criminal networks operate.”
Expanding Community Outreach Europe
Distributions will continue in additional Italian cities over the weeks ahead, with volunteers maintaining a focus on public spaces and community settings where young people can be reached with straightforward, factual materials.
The Church of Scientology, its churches, missions, groups and members are present across the European continent. Scientology has a continent-wide presence through more than 140 churches, missions and affiliated groups in all the 27 European Union nations and more, alongside thousands of community-based social betterment and reform initiatives focused on education, prevention and neighborhood-level support, inspired by the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Within Europe’s diverse national frameworks for religion, the Church’s recognitions continue to expand, with administrative and judicial authorities in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany Slovakia and others, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, having addressed and acknowledged Scientology communities as protected by the national and international provisions of Freedom of Religion or belief.
Company Details
Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Contact Person: Ivan Arjona
Website: https://www.scientologyeurope.org
Email: Send Email
Address: Boulevard de Waterloo 103
City: Brussels
State: Brussels
Country: Belgium
Release Id: 12022641341