The Metropolitan Police and several American law enforcement agencies have issued warnings to the Church of Scientology after their logos appeared without permission on ‘Foundation for a Drug Free World’ website, claiming endorsement. Andrea Gates reports.
In the wake of warnings from the French government about the organization’s activities at the Paris Olympics, the Scientology-sponsored ‘Foundation for a Drug-Free World’ has experienced another blow to its credibility. The Foundation’s website claims that its materials are used by over 800 law enforcement agencies globally. To emphasize this, they display badges from various agencies from around the world on their own website and on scientology.org.
However, recent contact with these agencies by concerned advocates paints a different picture, as agencies issue responses like “[our department] neither endorses nor has taken a position on the organization. I have referred the use of our patch to our legal division” and badges began disappearing from the website.
Earlier this year, 30 law enforcement badges were visible on these websites. As of September 16, 2024, this had reduced to 23 – with the badges of the Antwerp Police, Irving Texas Police Department, Malta Police Force, Bavarian State Police, Albuquerque New Mexico Police Department, Okaloosa County Florida Sheriff’s Office, and the Tarrant County Texas Sheriff’s Office now absent. Additionally, the Solon Ohio Police Department, Fuerza Publica de Costa Rica, Canadian Forces Military Police, Seminole Texas Police Department, and Flower Mound Texas Police Department emblems are pending removal based on responses received. It is expected that other agencies will also follow suit.
After contacting the Metropolitan Police in the UK, a spokesperson told Scientology Business “Metropolitan Police branding is the intellectual property of the MPS. We can confirm that our Intellectual Property Unit has not given permission for MPS branding to be included in this material. We are making representations to the website to request that our branding be removed.”
The ‘Foundation for a Drug-Free World’ describes itself as “a nonprofit, international drug education program proudly sponsored by the Church of Scientology and Scientologists all over the world.” However it is not registered with the Charity Commission in the United Kingdom and Scientology Business were unable to find any record of it existing as an independent entity on Companies House.
Beyond possible concerns that the ‘Foundation’ is a recruitment and public relations tool for Scientology, their approach is also outdated, misleading and sometimes blatantly false, and not in alignment with best practice in drug use prevention.
The most recent reference in their The Truth About Drugs booklet is from 2008, despite a copyright date of 2016.
The ‘Contact Us‘ section of their website suggests that people needing emergency help for themselves or someone else carefully study The Truth About Drugs booklets and watch video content, rather than contacting emergency services or other crisis supports.
Information provided about how drugs work indicates that “[t]he amount taken determines the effect. A small amount acts a stimulant (speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down).” (The Truth About Drugs, page 7). Drug effects depend more on the nature of the drug than the amount taken. (Appendix for the Evaluation of the Narconon Drug Abuse Prevention Program (NDAP), prepared for the California Department of Education by the California Healthy Kids Resource Center, January 2005.)
The messaging throughout the resource relies heavily on fear-mongering and scare tactics, an approach that is no longer best practice in preventing drug use. As per the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and World Health Organization’s International Standards on Drug Use Prevention (2018), “characteristics of such programmes deemed to be associated with lack of efficacy and/or effectiveness or with adverse effects based on expert consultation” include those that “rely heavily on merely giving information, in particular to elicit fear” (page 22).
Scientology has been caught in the act of making false claims about law enforcement support for their Foundation for a Drug-Free World, an entity that spreads outdated, misleading, and false information about drug use prevention. Advocates plan to continue contacting law enforcement agencies, as well as educational, health, and community organizations, to ensure that false claims of support are removed and informed decisions are made about the use of the Foundation’s materials.
