Drug Problems, article by L. Ron Hubbard

In at least two countries, Scientology is closely cooperating with the government in programs to handle the drug-addiction problem now becoming chronic in society.

Drug addicts have been found to have begun drug taking because of physical suffering or hopelessness.

In one country a Scientology pilot project has been in progress for about a year and has produced data of great value. Even without processing but by education, some 50 percent of the committed addicts have recovered and have not been recommitted.

By eradicating in the addict the cause of the original suffering or hopelessness, the need of drugs is voluntarily dispensed with by the former addict.

These Scientology projects are pilot in nature and were undertaken to develop the programs for larger applications. At present the number of unselected cases number only a few hundred.

So far it has been found that the cost per case [at the time of this writing], exclusive of food and bed, is about £35 a person [$465 in 1996 US dollars] when done on a mass basis using individual practitioners. The time is between seven and ten weeks, the first six of which are spent “drying out” under medical care. The actual processing takes less than fifty hours to permanent full rehabilitation. If only the drug factor is handled, the time is under ten hours.

A pilot project has just been begun in a state prison where the addicts will be trained to handle one another’s cases. If successful this could greatly reduce costs and facilitate the handling of very large numbers.

The addict has been found not to want to be an addict, but is driven by pain and environmental hopelessness.

As soon as an addict can feel healthier and more competent mentally and physically without drugs than he does on drugs, he ceases to require drugs.

Drug addiction has been shrugged off by psychiatry as “unimportant” and the social problem of drug taking has received no attention from psychiatrists—rather the contrary since they themselves introduced and popularized LSD. And many of them are pushers.

Government agencies have failed markedly to halt the increase in drug taking and there has been no real or widespread cure.

The political implications of increasing addiction in a country are great. All nations under heavy attack by foreign intelligence agencies have experienced increased drug traffic and addiction.

Japanese intelligence forces before World War II conquered by carefully making addicts out of every potential leader they could reach, particularly bright children, in a target country.

The last dynasty (the Manchu) of China was overthrown by a country that imported opium into the kingdom and got it into widespread use.

There are many historical precedents.

The liability of the drug user, even after he has ceased to use drugs, is that he “goes blank” at unexpected times, has periods of irresponsibility and tends to sicken easily.

Dianetics and Scientology processing has been able to eradicate the major damage in those cases tested as well as make further addiction unnecessary and unwanted.

Scientology has no interest in the political or social aspects of the various types of drugs or even drug taking as such. The whole interest of Scientology is concentrated on those who want to “get unhooked” and “stay unhooked.”

In one Scientology organization at least half of those coming in for processing have been on drugs and this figure is less than that in the surrounding public where it evidently goes to an even higher percentage. Therefore, in 1968 and 1969 research on this as a specialized subject was completed successfully.

Scientologists do not stand ready to punish drug takers or reform a whole society on the subject. But they do stand ready and are active in helping anyone or any government to handle the problem.

Like the Flaming Youth era of the Prohibition 20s, drug taking will probably also come to pass away as a national pastime. But it will leave a lot of people who wish they hadn’t. The Scientologist can help those. And are helping them right now as a routine duty to the community.

Governments need the Scientologist a lot more than they think.