“Sag NEIN zu Drogen – Österreich” expands street-level prevention outreach in Austria’s capital, combining community events, school interest and online learning resources with a fact-based approach.
VIENNA, Austria — In Vienna’s public squares, parks and cultural gathering points, volunteers with the Vienna-based association Sag NEIN zu Drogen – Osterreich have been strengthening a simple prevention idea: reach young people early, with clear information, before dealers and misinformation do.
The initiative focuses on youth, parents, educators, artists and sports communities—groups that often see the first signs of risk, but do not always have practical tools at hand. Volunteers describe their outreach as conversation-driven and non-confrontational, built around short exchanges that help people understand what commonly abused substances are, how they affect the body and mind, and why early experimentation can become difficult to reverse.
Gabriele Toker, president of the chapter in Vienna, has spoken publicly about why the effort matters at family level: drug education, she argues, is most effective when it equips parents and teachers with usable facts rather than fear or moral lectures. That emphasis has helped the group connect with educators exploring prevention resources that can be adapted to classrooms and youth settings.
Vienna’s cultural calendar provides recurring opportunities for that kind of contact. At major public events such as the Donauinselfest, volunteers have used interactive activities—music, movement, and family-friendly engagement—to create a welcoming setting for brief conversations about real-world pressures and the realities behind common myths. Organisers say this approach is intended to meet young people where they are, without dramatization, and to encourage responsible choices through understanding rather than instruction.
The timing of prevention has gained renewed relevance as drug markets evolve and as health authorities continue to highlight the scale of use. In June 2025, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report 2025 estimated that 316 million people used drugs in 2023, noting that instability and organised trafficking continue to compound social, economic and security costs. In the European context, the EU Drugs Agency’s 2025 assessment of cannabis again describes cannabis as Europe’s most widely consumed illicit drug, while warning that markets and products are changing rapidly.
Austria’s own youth data underscores why many prevention programmes prioritise early engagement. The national ESPAD Austria 2024 report found that 18% of surveyed students had tried cannabis at least once, 14% had used it in the last 12 months and 7% in the last 30 days. For the Vienna volunteers of Drug Free World, those figures reinforce a practical point: prevention conversations do not start “too early” in the teenage years, because the first offers and first risks can appear sooner than adults expect.
In their day-to-day outreach, volunteers report meeting a wide range of people—students in health-related fields, parents seeking clarity about substances discussed online, and teachers looking for age-appropriate materials that allow guided discussion without stigma. The group also points to the role of local role models. Collaborations with artists and sports communities, they say, help amplify a message that healthy performance and creativity do not depend on drugs—an argument that can resonate strongly with adolescents navigating identity, peer acceptance and pressure to experiment.
Feedback the foundation has received from community members in other countries illustrates the tone it aims to maintain. A shop owner in Belgium, commenting on the materials, noted: “This leaflet is effective because it is informative and fact-based and doesn’t give moral lectures.” A breakdance dancer in France similarly reflected: “We all have our creativity naturally and we don’t need drugs to feel good… I get my ‘high’ with dance and music, not drugs.” Such reactions, organisers say, reflect the value of prevention tools that respect the audience and rely on factual explanation.
The Vienna initiative uses materials associated with the global “Truth About Drugs” campaign distributed by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, which describes itself as a nonprofit drug education programme sponsored by the Church of Scientology and Scientologists. The content is available in multiple formats, including printed booklets and structured classroom resources. The foundation also offers an online learning pathway through its Truth About Drugs e-courses, designed to let individuals work through information at their own pace using videos and lesson modules.
In parallel, the Church of Scientology describes its support for drug education through the Truth About Drugs campaign as a secular prevention initiative intended to help communities reduce harm through education. The programme’s origins are linked, in Church materials, to the emphasis placed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard on addressing social problems with practical solutions and on countering drug abuse through awareness and prevention.
Ivan Arjona, Church of Scientology representative to the EU, OSCE, Council of Europe and the United Nations, said:
“Drug prevention in Europe works best when it treats young people with respect—by providing verified information early, in plain language, and in settings that feel safe to ask questions. When parents, teachers and community volunteers cooperate on that basis, they strengthen public health while also reinforcing the civic responsibility and human dignity that European societies depend on.”
Organisers in Vienna stress that the goal is not a single event but steady continuity: being present in public life often enough that drug education becomes normal, accessible and practical. For them, success is measured in small but concrete outcomes—students who take information home, teachers who feel better equipped to address difficult questions, and parents who leave a conversation with clearer facts and less uncertainty.
About the Church of Scientology in Europe
The Church of Scientology, its missions, groups and members are present throughout the European continent and support a range of community programmes focused on education, prevention and social betterment. Recognition of Scientology as a charitable and bona fide religion continues to grow in various jurisdictions, alongside engagement in initiatives intended to contribute to community well-being and informed civic participation.
Media Contact
Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Contact Person: Ivan Arjona
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