Shop visits and public information stands bring a Scientology-supported education campaign to families in Paris, Marseille and south-western France.
KINGNEWSWIRE / PRESS RELEASE / PARIS, France — 15 October 2026 — Volunteers from Non à la drogue, Oui à la vie have distributed more than 16,000 drug-prevention booklets across France, working through neighbourhood shops, market squares and public information stands. In communities from Paris to Ariège, the visits have drawn requests for information from parents, students and people working with young people.
The distributions are part of La vérité sur la drogue, the French-language version of The Truth About Drugs. The programme is supported by the Church of Scientology and its members and provides information about drugs for young people, families and educators.
Journalistic reports have warned that cannabis, cocaine and heroin can now be obtained throughout France, including in rural areas. Traffickers have also used village roads to avoid checks on major routes, while clandestine laboratories have been dismantled on farms.
In Tarn, volunteers delivered 3,100 booklets to dozens of businesses across several municipalities. Another team supplied 3,000 to approximately 50 shops in Arcachon. Hundreds more were distributed in two Bordeaux neighbourhoods, where some shopkeepers spoke about people they knew who had been affected by drugs.
A team from Toulouse travelled to Ariège, distributing 3,000 booklets through local businesses. At a market square, a person working with a centre for young people with disabilities approached the volunteers to ask for resources for the centre.
Around Clermont-Ferrand, volunteers returned to smaller municipalities in Puy-de-Dôme and left more than 1,200 booklets with local traders. At one bakery, the baker explained that secondary-school students came to collect the publications when the subject of drugs was being covered at school. Other traders and customers took copies for their children and asked about the effects of different substances.
In Paris, a team distributed 5,100 booklets through businesses in the Oberkampf district. Shopkeepers welcomed the volunteers and asked for publications they could offer to customers concerned about substance use.
In Marseille’s Notre-Dame du Mont district, volunteers set up an information stand, handed out 600 booklets and invited visitors to try simulation goggles intended to illustrate impaired perception associated with alcohol or cannabis. Young people tested the goggles, some with their parents beside them, and expressed surprise at the changes in perception. Parents thanked the volunteers for the demonstration.
People involved in local associations also stopped by to speak about addiction in the city centre, raising concerns about substances including crack cocaine, heroin and nitrous oxide.
Founded in 1991, Non à la drogue, Oui à la vie is a French nonprofit association recognised as serving the public interest and governed by the country’s 1901 law on associations. It works in partnership with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, organising information stands, distributing publications and giving educational presentations. Its purpose is to help people understand drugs before they face a decision about using them.
The Truth About Drugs materials include an overview booklet and publications on individual substances, including cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, synthetic drugs and prescription-drug misuse. Available in 23 languages, the booklets explain effects and risks and include accounts from people who have experienced drug use. Short public-service films accompany the series. In the documentary The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories, former users speak about addiction and its consequences in their own lives.
For teachers and others working with pupils aged 11 and above, the French association provides kits containing a teaching manual, films, booklets and posters. Its online resources and podcasts include accounts from people affected by drugs and their relatives. The materials can be used in a lesson or group discussion, as well as read individually by a parent or young person.
The Church of Scientology’s support for drug education stems from the concern expressed by its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, about the effects of drugs on people and society. The Church and Scientologists have supported the development and distribution of the secular Truth About Drugs programme, making it one of their longstanding social initiatives.
Across Europe, illicit-drug availability remains high and the range of substances on the market is becoming more varied. The European Union Drugs Agency’s European Drug Report 2026 identifies increasingly complex risks, including potent substances consumed unknowingly in mixtures or tablets. It highlights prevention in families, schools and communities, stressing the importance of evidence-based interventions and quality standards.
Ivan Arjona, representative of the Church of Scientology to the European Union, OSCE, Council of Europe and United Nations, said:
“If a pupil can pick up a booklet at the local bakery and use it for a school discussion, prevention has become part of daily life. Parents and teachers need information they can use, and young people deserve straight answers.”
The Church of Scientology, its missions, groups and members are present throughout the European continent, and its recognition as a charitable and bona fide religion continues to grow. Inspired by the work of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologists support education, prevention and community-betterment initiatives, including drug education, human-rights awareness, ethical education and volunteer assistance.
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