Youth Safeguarding in Italy: 300 Volunteers Distribute 500,000 Drug-Prevention Booklets

MILAN — 12 Feb. 2026 — A volunteer network of around 300 people has been active since January in multiple Italian cities for a drug-prevention awareness initiative, distributing information resources 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.

The initiative is supported by the European Office of the Church of Scientology within its broader support for drug education and prevention initiatives inspired by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. The campaign focuses on facts about substances and the physical and mental-health consequences associated with use.

The organisers further point to sports-community involvement. They say more than 100 athletes connected Cortin to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have signed the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Honorary Register, backing prevention messaging aimed at young people. Organisers argue, 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 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. Verified, accessible information strengthens informed decision-making, and it helps communities push back against exploitation linked to drug markets.”

Full details: Scientology Europe report on Italy’s youth safeguarding outreach.