March 1, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Linda Simmons Hight
Media Relations Director
Church of Scientology International
6331 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90028-6329
Phone (323) 960-3500
Fax (323) 960-3508
E-mail mediarelationsdir@scientology.net

3.1 MILLION DRUG-FREE MARSHALS ‘SWORN IN’ IN U.S. SINCE 1993

Church of Scientology International anti-drug campaign marks 10th year with contest for young people

When actor John Travolta and an FBI agent launched the Drug-Free Marshals program in Los Angeles on April 3, 1993, neither they nor the program’s director had any idea of its runaway popularity — 3.1 million kids “sworn-in” just in the first 10 years, and that’s only in the United States.

With illegal drug trafficking at an estimated $500 billion a year, and drug use reported among first-graders, “it was time to take strong action,” says program director Luis Gonzalez of Church of Scientology International, the program’s sponsor. “The drug epidemic can only be killed by reducing demand, and the best way to reach kids is through other kids,” says Gonzalez.

“So our grassroots program took off and has been more like a wildfire,” he says. “We did not realize the power of one kid telling another kid to stay off drugs, or to stop taking drugs if he has already started.”

Drug-Free Marshals was originally planned as a U.S. campaign but rapidly spread to Canada, Mexico, Australia, England, Africa and beyond. “One day we received some photos from a Drug-Free Marshal in Soweto in South Africa,” recalls Gonzalez. “That’s when we knew this approach had universal appeal.”

The program is simple: A parent or teacher or minister or kids themselves raise a little money and get some Drug-Free Marshals badges made, construct a big paper pledge board for signing and set up shop in a school or church or playground or shopping mall — anywhere kids congregate.

People of all ages are encouraged to sign on as a Drug-Free Marshal, pledging to lead the way by:

1. Living a drug-free life

2. Showing my friends that a drug-free life is more fun

3. Helping my fellow Drug-Free Marshals

4. Learning more about how drugs really harm people

5. Telling people the truth about the harmful effects of drugs

6. Helping my family and friends be drug-free

7. Setting a good example to all children by leading the way to a Drug-Free community.

Once a person has signed the pledge, they are “sworn in” and a badge pinned on them by a mayor, policeman or fireman, a parent, teacher or clergyman — or another young person. The youngest known Drug-Free Marshal was 3 years old, the oldest 83.

Drug-Free Marshals chapters across the country are participating in the 10th anniversary theme, “Creating a Drug-Free Future,” with a contest entitled “Helping My Community Be Drug-Free.” Projects that advance the message of living drug-free will be judged — murals, posters, videos, poems, for example. National winners and a parent will travel to Washington, D.C., where they will receive a special acknowledgment from their Congressional representative at the U.S. Capitol.

For information or an entry form, write Drug-Free Marshals, 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90028-6329 or visit www.drugfreemarshals.org. Deadline for submissions is April 20, 2003.