Italy Youth Safeguarding: 300 Volunteers Deliver 500,000 “Truth About Drugs” Booklets

MILAN, Italy — 12 February 2026 — A volunteer network of around 300 people has been active since January across Italy to support a drug-prevention information drive, distributing educational materials titled “The Truth About Drugs”. The organisers state that the distribution has already surpassed 500,000 booklets, with Milan at the forefront and wider participation growing.

Support for the outreach is provided by the European Office of the Church of Scientology as part of its long-running backing for community-based drug education inspired by the work of L. Ron Hubbard. The booklets present straightforward information on substances, short- and long-term effects, and health risks.

Organisers also highlight athlete involvement. They say more than 100 athletes connected to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have signed the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Honorary Register, supporting drug-prevention awareness for youth. In the organisers’ view, sport offers a credible setting for prevention messaging because it is associated with discipline, wellbeing and long-term performance.

Ivan Arjona, Scientology’s representative to Scientology the EU, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, noted: “Across Europe, protecting young people is not only a health objective but a civic duty. Providing verified, understandable information strengthens autonomy and informed choice, and it helps communities push back against exploitation linked to drug markets.”

Read more: Scientology Europe report on Italy’s youth safeguarding outreach.