Church of Scientology Nashville hosts Drug Overdose Awareness Day community open house with a focus on collaboration, education and prevention
NASHVILLE, Tenn. /CitizenWire/ -- Police, nonprofits and community leaders gathered at the Church of Scientology community hall in Nashville, Tennessee, to mark Drug Overdose Awareness Day with a united effort to raise awareness and combat the overdose epidemic.
Drug overdose death rates increased in Tennessee from 17.2 per 100,000 in 2011 to 56.6 per 100,000 in 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, Tennessee has the country's third-highest overdose mortality rate, under West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The event underscored the importance of collective action, with speakers stressing that drug abuse is not an isolated issue but one that affects the entire community. By increasing awareness and encouraging cooperation between community groups, Drug-Free Tennessee aims to create a safer and healthier Nashville for future generations.
Organized by Drug-Free Tennessee, the local chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the event featured education and prevention strategies and emphasized the importance of reaching young people with factual, engaging drug prevention materials.
"Our community must work together to end the devastating impact of drug abuse," said Rev. Brian Fesler, Director of Public Affairs of the Church of Scientology of Nashville and coordinator of Drug-Free Tennessee. "Education is the foundation of prevention and that's why we make resources like The Truth About Drugs available for everyone to use." He emphasized the importance of reaching young people with factual, engaging drug prevention materials. "Our community must work together to end the devastating impact of drug abuse."
Attendees engaged in discussions about strategies to reduce drug-related harm and left with copies of The Truth About Drugs educational materials to share within their organizations and communities.
This year's UN Office on Drugs and Crime motto stresses the importance of drug education-"The evidence is clear: invest in prevention." UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that "breaking the cycle of suffering means starting at the beginning, before drugs take hold, by investing in prevention."
Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Thanks to the support of Churches of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation makes its acclaimed secular drug education and prevention materials and programs available free of charge to anyone wishing to use them to educate others on this vital subject.
For decades, Scientologists have engaged in drug education and prevention in their communities, inspired by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."
LEARN MORE:
https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/
https://www.scientology-ccnashville.org
https://drugfreetn.org/
VIDEO:
https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html
https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html
Learn More: https://www.scientology.org/
This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2024 CitizenWire™ (CitizenWire.com) - part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA - all rights reserved.
Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.
REF: STORY ID: S2P121071 CITWIRE24