Church of Scientology Georgia Fights the Opioid Crisis During the Big Game in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA, February 16, 2019 --(PR.com)-- A study released by the National Safety Council found more people are now dying of overdose than from traffic accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that on average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. In May, the executive director of Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, Neil Campbell, described the spike in overdose deaths in the state as “an explosion.” The crisis has reached such proportions in Georgia that pharmacists don’t require a prescription for dispensing naloxone - the medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose.

Volunteers from the Atlanta chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World decided to leverage the excitement of the big game into a way to save lives. With the help of local nonprofits and Drug-Free World volunteers from across the country, they set their sights on handing out half a million copies of the Truth About Drugs booklets to local residents and those in Atlanta for the game.

They took to the streets in their signature turquoise shirts and jackets, reaching out to everyone they met with the truth about drugs, knowing that drug prevention can significantly reduce the risk of drug abuse and addiction.

The world’s largest nongovernmental drug information and prevention program, Foundation for a Drug-Free World has distributed more than 118 million drug education booklets in 188 countries in 20 languages.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support the Foundation, making it possible to provide these materials free of charge to community leaders, groups and educators for their use in dealing with this vital subject.