CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After wrapping up their most successful year to date, the Foundation for a Drug Free World Florida will launch 2016 with a series of seminars into the Tampa Bay community. The first of these is January 24 th . In addition to the seminar itself, free educational materials will be provided to those professionals dedicated to eradicating drug abuse.
Since opening their new Florida headquarters in July of 2015, staff at the Center announced that: over 4,200 visitors toured the Center; 86,000 of their Truth About Drugs materials have been distributed throughout the Tampa Bay area; they have partnered with eighty-eight other organizations and have reached almost 94,000 people through media, events and presentations.
Ms. Julieta Santagostino, the President of the chapter said, “A look at today’s headlines will confirm what L. Ron Hubbard noted in the 1970’s still holds true; ‘Drugs are the single most destructive element present in our culture today’. That is why I support this foundation – education is the most effective way to stem the tide of drug use and abuse in our communities. The Truth About Drugs program reaches our youth and captures their interest. When they are given the true facts about drugs, usage rates drop significantly.”
According to the 2012 World Report on Drugs by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 230 million people at all levels of society consume illegal drugs, while every year, almost 200,000 die from drugs and with every 12 seconds, another school-age child experiments with illegal drugs for the first time, added Santagostino.
The January 24th seminar is scheduled from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Foundation for a Drug Free World’s Center located at 41 North Fort Harrison Avenue in downtown Clearwater. Ms. Santagostino will educate the attendees using the Drug Free World Educator’s Guide which provides a full semester of lesson plans, essays and homework assignments designed to elicit participation. The Guide also includes the award-winning DVD – “Creating a Drug Free World” – and a series of booklets all of which are provided free of charge.
Santagostino continued, “These 14 booklets are translated in 17 languages and have been distributed in more than 188 nations worldwide, with a booklet for each of the most commonly used drugs. They provide descriptions of mental and physical manifestations of each drug reinforced by firsthand accounts from former users.”
At the heart of the Drug-Free World audiovisual presentation is a one-and-a-half hour, award-winning documentary, entitled: The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories. The documentary features people who have experienced drugs firsthand.
One school resource officer, who has been using the Truth About Drugs materials, said, “Kids love this program. It is the only thing that makes them listen.”
For more information about the seminar or the Truth About Drugs Program, contact the Drug Free World Florida Headquarters at 727-467-6962, email eszterm@drugfreeworld.org or go to www.drugfreeworld.org . The Florida headquarters is open to the public from 10 am to 10 pm daily.
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World
Supported by the Church of Scientology, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Truth About Drugs program is being used by some 1,300 organizations, government and law enforcement agencies around the world. Through a worldwide network of volunteers, 50 million drug prevention booklets have been distributed, tens of thousands of drug awareness events have been held in over 180 countries and Truth About Drugs public service announcements have been aired on more than 500 television stations.
For More Information Contact: Rosalia Kellerer 727-467-6962
