The Propaganda Files - Foundation For A Drug Free World

They Lied - Find Out The Truth About Drugs
The anti-drug campaign by the Foundation for a Drug Free World(FDFW) aptly titled, They Lied - Find Out the Truth About Drugs, paints a scary picture of what drugs will do to you and appears to be aimed squarely at teenagers. But there is a huge flaw in this campaign - they assume teenagers are all naive and inherently gullible. Playing on the theme of “peer group pressure”, FDFW have produced what can only be described as 1980s style scare tactics, carefully mixing in truth and fiction to emphasise the worst case scenario as the inevitable outcome from any drug use. To most teens, this message has been done to death and although the campaign acknowledges that drug use is common in their world, they still focus on incredible situations that rarely happen. Of course, this is not really aimed at kids at all but parents, moral crusaders and conservative anti-drug groups who want to feel like they are being tough on drugs and doing something for children. Politicians especially love this approach which makes it easy for them to be seen fighting the good fight against the spread of drugs. Ironically, these types of campaigns have never actually been proven to be effective but year after year they are still rolled out with the usual anti-drug rhetoric like “we must stop this drug scourge for the sake of our children” or “our kids deserve a drug free world”. Maybe one day, they will eventually “think of the children” and develop a truthful campaign that treats the target audience as reasonable people who need honest, reliable information.

Organisation: Foundation for a Drug Free World (FDFW)

Campaign: They Lied - Find Out the Truth About Drugs
When: 2006-2009

Link: Website
Propaganda: 8/10

Laugh Out Loud Rating: 8/10

What isn’t well known is that FDFW is run by the Church of Scientology which might explain the blatant attempts to deceive. It might also explain the excellent and expensive production quality of the campaign which was produced by Golden Era Productions, an organisation located on a 500-acre lot in California with multiple sound stages, extensive audio-visual equipment and a top of the line production facility. The campaign was directed by multi-award winning Australian cinematographer-turned-director, Gary Ravenscroft. The campaign won 2 Silver Telly Awards and a bronze Addy.



"They said that taking meth would help me with my exams ... they lied"

Yes, I remember when a friend suggested having a coffee percolator to help me when I studied. Or was it my friend who suggested smoking crack and drinking a dozen beers? Either way, before I knew it, I was holding up the local 7-11 with a gun. That’s normal, isn’t it? [giggle]. And what’s this, “They lied” statement? Does it mean that because they lied, it’s not my fault? No, the stated aim of the campaign is to expose the truth on drug myths. [more giggles] The truth?! I know, the irony is priceless.There’s something disturbing when the community embraces Scientology trying to debunk myths by using myths.

These ads give people information about what drugs really do, not only to the individual, but his family, friends and community. Truthfully, we’re all at risk as drugs have a far-reaching effect on all of us. So these ads debunk what people hear on the streets and helps get them the facts they need before its too late.
-Gary Ravenscroft. Director

"They said weed wouldn’t lead to harder drugs ... they lied. Find out the truth about weed ... drugfreeworld.org"

The last place someone should be going for the truth about drugs is drugfreeworld.org. Even the premise of the commercial itself is wrong. The myth that cannabis leads to harder drugs was debunked decades ago but there is a hint of truth, believe it or not. Due to the tough laws so heavily pushed by groups like drugfreeworld.org, soft drugs and hard drugs are both classed the with the same harm potential. This forces users of soft drugs like cannabis to mix with users and dealers of hard drugs. Having to buy pot from a dealer who also supplies heroin, ice, cocaine etc. places cannabis users in the underground world of criminals and the inherent dangers involved.

Back to the commercial. I particularly like the scabs and sores they add to his face as he ‘gateways’ to harder drugs. To be honest, I have never seen sores on a junkies’ face before and I have seen a lot of junkies. I suppose showing a typical user isn’t effective since most of them don’t look any different to the general public. Maybe if he had been using for 10 years but the commercial suggests it’s less than about 12 months from first puff to junkie. Something else that makes me curious is the scene where they are running around in fast motion. Is this meant to represent “speed” or meth? LOL! Also, the group shot where they are all snorting something around a table (probably the speed) prior to the fast motion scene, it looks like they are having lots of fun. Much more fun than the stoners sitting in the darken lounge room. Maybe they should change the message to, ‘Don’t let weed be a gateway to hard drugs ... go straight to speed ... speed is lots more fun than weed’.

I have to admit laughing quite a bit watching these commercials. Was I that stupid and gullible when I was young?

“Here try this, it’s heroin” - Okay, but will I be cool?

“They said prescription pain killers were totally safe” - Great now I can just take handfuls of unknown pills. I always believe my friends. I would never say, “fuck off, I’m not taking that” or “you go first”.

“He said he would love me forever ... if I smoke crack with him” - Oh dear. She deserves it.

Are these commercials typical of what teens experience in reality? The answer has to be no. The ecstasy commercial shows a girl taking half a pill and collapsing in a night club. They would have to follow about 10,000 users to find someone who reacts like this. The meth commercial ... unbelievable, the cocaine commercial ... even more unbelievable. It really makes a parody of their sales pitch, “Find out the truth about drugs”. Anyway I took their advice and looked through their “Drug Facts” section and the booklets they produce. Not surprisingly, it revealed a huge selection of misinformation and propaganda. For example:

• Marijuana and hashish users build up a tolerance to the drugs, which can lead them to take more of it or experiment with stronger drugs to get the same effect.

• This can get so severe that a person will do almost anything to get the drug — even commit murder.

• According to a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, kids who frequently use marijuana are almost four times more likely to act violently or damage property. They are five times more likely to steal than those who do not use the drug.

• "I tried it once and BOOM! I was addicted".

• Ecstasy is [...] addictive.

• Crack cocaine [...] people have been known to become addicted after using the drug just once.

• Methamphetamine is an extremely powerful and addictive drug. [...] Many addicts report getting hooked from the first use. It causes violent and psychotic behavior.

• The consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem one is trying to solve with them.

Scientology Links
The FDFW is run by the Church of Scientology and is closely linked to the youth orientated Drug-Free Marshals program or Drug-Free Ambassadors as it’s called in Australia. You may have heard of our own Carly Crutchfield, Scientologist, Drug Free Ambassador and real estate investment advisor. The blurring of who is who and who runs what is how the Church of Scientology can sneak into schools and community groups when needed or promote their church when they want publicity. Maybe that’s why the campaign commercials and booklets are readily available at the Scientology website but the link to Scientology hardly gets a mention at FDFW. The offical blurb for FDFW from their website is:

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular, nonprofit organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to be drug-free.

Secular? factual information? Like all front groups for Scientology, it’s really about expanding the flock. Conforming to conservative, moralistic views on drugs allows them to be easily accepted by other anti-drug moralists. Schools, religious groups, community organisations and politicians welcome them with open arms when they see the benefits of free colourful booklets and well organised strategies. And it’s an easy message to sell - “say no to drugs, say yes to life”. Just don’t mention Scientology! Well not yet, anyway.

What intrigues me most is that Scientology claims they can cure drug addiction along with poverty, mental health etc. Then why don’t they? Why bother with FDFW when they can simply “cure” drug addiction? Do you remember that Tom Cruise interview where he rambled on about being proud to be a Scientologist? Remember it hitting the internet then the Scientology lawyers quickly had it removed? What made them panic and remove it so quickly?, Was it Tom Cruise saying this?:

We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions… we can rehabilitate criminals.
-Dailymotion (2:56) - (Transcript)

Apart from Tom Cruise, fellow Scientologists, John Travolta and Kirsty Alley have also pushed the claim that they can cure drug addiction. Scientologists claim that their organisation, Narcocon via a treatment called Purification Rundown have a 90% success rate at curing drug addiction. This has been disputed several times and in reality is more like 6%. In a recent attack on psychiatry, Cruise warned people on prescription medication and to “think carefully about the harms they're(prescription pills) doing to their bodies”. During that interview, the actor also claimed that he can get someone off heroin in three days through Scientology's detox programmes. It seems Scientologists firmly believe their BS.

Scientology technology has been able to eradicate the major damage in persons who have been on drugs as well as make further addiction unnecessary and unwanted.
[...]
Thus, Scientology contains an exact technology which not only gets a person painlessly off drugs but handles their physical, mental and spiritual effects and locates and fully resolves the reason underlying a person’s drug-taking. Nothing else can do this with certainty.
-Scientology Handbook

Why has Narconon been so active in schools worldwide and often taken on by local community groups? Because they don't advertise their link to Scientology. The Narconon website doesn’t have any reference to being owned the Church of Scientology and even FDFW doesn’t mention their association. This is how they work. But with Narconon recently receiving criticism for their methods and not declaring their Scientology links, FDFW might be their new front. With so much deceit and false information being bandied around, the question has to be asked ... do you really trust Narconon um... Foundation for a Drug Free World(FDFW) I mean, Scientology?

More from the Propaganda Files

The Bucket Head Awards 2008

2008, like every year has been full of surprises. In the ever evolving world of drug policy and treatment though, there does remain one constant ... a continuous parade of murky politicians, selfish moralists and dubious opinion writers who share a common goal to demonise drug users at any cost. Any attempt to be sensible and pragmatic about drug use or drug treatment is abhorred by these people and they will go to great lengths to undermine these efforts. In the process, logic and reality is counteracted with carefully constructed propaganda, junk science and claims of moral decay. The problem is that the truth is not on their side and cracks will appear which may expose some farcical and often humorous attempts to appear legitimate. These are serious issues and the anti-drug zealots cause much pain, suffering and death but the sheer absurdities of their actions need to be highlighted. What better way to recognise their actions than to nominate them for an award. So without further ado, let me introduce to you, the first annual edition of The Australian Heroin Diaries - Bucket Head of the Year Awards.

NOTE: These awards are from an Australian perspective and are based on issues involving drug policy and drug treatment. Many nominees are probably guilty of various other deeds but these awards are for drug related issues. I assume I have left out many candidates and events so feel free to add your nominations. These are my personal opinions and if I have upset anyone, I am sorry. If you don't want to be involved in these awards ... don't give me a reason to nominate you.

Worst Strategy from a Country in 2008

Russia: The refusal to introduce methadone maintenance treatment

Runners Up:

•Scotland: The proposal to abandon methadone treatment and introduce abstinence only programs.

•US: The continuing "War on Drugs" e.g. overriding state laws on medical marijuana, lack of Harm Minimisation programs etc.

•UK: Reclassification of cannabis to a class B drug

Worst International Anti-Drug Organisation in 2008

International: Supporting United Nations Drug Initiatives And Legislation (SUNDIAL)

Runners Up:

•International: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime / UNDCP /  CCPCJ / INCB

•US: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

•US: Mothers Against Medical Abuse (MAMA) / Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths (HARMD)

Worst Australian Anti-Drug Organisation in 2008

Drug Free Australia (DFA)

Runners Up:

•Drug Advisory Council of Australia Inc. (DACA)

•National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC)

•Christian Democratic Party

Silliest Comment in 2008

The war on drugs in Australia is working. The Bali Nine are just part of the price

-Miranda Devine. Sydney Morning Herald

Runners Up:

•Illegal drugs and not alcohol are to blame for the anti-social behaviour in Tasmania

-The Australian Hotels Association 

•This (brochure) clearly is a message that it is okay to take drugs. For the Health Department to be promoting illegal drug taking to students is offensive and a gross misuse of public money

-Jillian Skinner. NSW Opposition health spokeswoman speaking about the “Choosing to Use” booklet

•Given that the US is making better headway than Australia, in both binge drinking and illicit drug use among its young people, we should be looking more closely at what is working there

-Jo Baxter. Executive Officer - Drug Free Australia

Most Overused Phrase in 2008

Sends the wrong message

Runners Up:

•Cannabis today is not like what it was in the 60s

•Binge drinking

•Tough on Drugs

Biggest Deception in 2008

Exaggerated harms from cannabis use especially increased potency and links to psychosis 

Runners Up:

•Exaggerated harms of ecstasy use

•The continuing claim that the Howard Government’s “tough on drugs” strategy with the Australian Federal Police stopped the “heroin epidemic”.

•The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre is a failure

Biggest Deception from a Person or Group in 2008

Drug Free Australia: Claiming  a Zero Tolerance policy is a viable alternative to Harm Minimisation

Runners Up;

•Piers Akerman: Claim that the Kings Cross MSIC is a failure

•Anne Bressington: Claiming that she had much support for compulsory drug testing of students but was actually criticised by many groups who it affected.

•Miranda Devine: Cannabis use is a bigger health issue than alcohol abuse

Worst News.com Comment in 2008

Yet a terrible thought crossed my mind going through this topic. Some of the worst addicted at worst might kill their children in the belief they will get more for their addictions, or at the least will blame the kids for their reduced ability to obtain drugs and alcohol and foist even more and terrible abuse on them.

Posted by: Adrian of Nowra

Topic: Quarantine welfare payments for people convicted of drug offences via a welfare debit card.

Runners Up:

•Wow. Only if this outcome could happen to all drug users! It certainly would "clean up" the world. Perhaps other druggies can learn from this lesson and just say no to drugs. Life is tough on everyone but that doesn't mean resorting to drugs to cope. Druggies and pushers are filthy animals.

Posted by: Steve 

Topic: A prostitute who died after injecting cocaine. The two men with her, one who supplied the cocaine, panicked about getting caught with the drugs and didn't ring an ambulance. 

•Not sad, Schapelle! What is sad, is that when you were found guilty, the judge couldnt sentence you to death! Unfortunately, you were not busted in China, where your despicable family would have been sent the invoice for the bullet used in your execution! No Santa for this scumbag criminal!

-Posted by: Kim of Do The Time 

Topic: Schapelle Corby to miss out on Christmas sentence reduction

•...The Bali Nine took a calculated risk. They took that risk with full knowledge of the potential outcome. If the result is being sat, blindfolded, with a 6 inch square of white cloth pinned over your heart, listening to the metallic clack of rounds being chambered, and enduring the agonizing last seconds of your life as you wait for the shots to come, then that’s just too damn bad. And these people will hear the shots and will be conscious as their lives flow out of them in those last seconds. That’s no bad thing either.

-Posted by: Pete Christie of Paddington 

Topic: The Bali Nine

Funniest News.com Comment in 2008

I'd like to say to those people spending huge amounts of money each year on drugs, why don't you have a think about those people suffering in the world who can't afford food, medication or a place to sleep. Compare that to the chemicals, physical and mental harm and burden on society drugs create and see which on is more deserving....

Posted by: Maree from Brisbane

Topic: GBH overdoses at the X-Qlusive dance party in Melbourne

Runners Up:

•The 9 are HUMAN garbage,parasites,bullies+PUS. tHE kind of weak thugs who laugh at people smaller,or alone,in Maccas! Put them on the express elevator to hell! Corby may have been innocent+ was not into the ppoison of herion.Keep some BALANCE.

Posted by: scullcracka

Topic: The Bali Nine

•I blame the touchy feely left wing ALP government who have allowed this behavious to occur. People who are caught with any drugs should be immediately and summarily incarcerated for 30 days hard labour out in the states central west where they can brak rocks, dig holes, etc. No appeals, no phone a friend, nothing. Invite Channel 7, 9 or 10 to film them. Make a reality show out of it. Shame them so that their family and friends know what junkies they are. When they get released, how many of these so called 'professioanls' will still hold their job? Not many I presume. Garbage people like Iktimal Hage-Ali should be washed down the sewer where they belong. 'nuff said!!

-Posted by: Stefano of Sydney

Topic:  The ridiculously overdone article by Fiona Connelly regarding Young Australian of the Year contender and Muslim, Iktimal Hage-Ali who was caught with cocaine. The article goes on to dramatise rampant cocaine use amongst Sydney professionals. [Link]

•This story reminds me of vegetarians, they are vegetarian because they don't want to eat animals but if they were just 2 inches tall the animals would have no problem eating the vegetarians.... My point is that the bali 9 are in a bad situation however if it was somebody else they would probably be laughing and wouldn't have a care in the world as they would be out on the streets dealing drugs and robbing people or beating people up however we are in no place to judge them for good or bad, just let the legal system do its thing and get on with your lives.

Posted by: Adam of Melbourne

Topic: The Bali Nine

Worst Suggestion from a Political Party in 2008

WA Liberal Party: Repealing cannabis laws in WA for possession

Runners Up:

•Liberal Party: Revisiting The Bishop Report: “The Winnable War on Drugs”

•SA Independent Anne Bressington: Compulsory drug testing for students in SA

•Labor Party: Welfare payment quarantining for drug users

Worst Decision from a Political Party in 2008

SA Government: Banning drug paraphernalia in SA

Runners Up:

•NSW Labor Party: Health Minister Reba Meagher over reacting to the “Choosing to Use” booklet by pulping all copies

•Labor Party: Welfare payment regulation

•SA Labor Party: Veterans' Affairs Minister, Michael Atkinson rejecting a trial of MDMA for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Major Political Party with the Worst Drug Policy in 2008

Christian Democratic Party

Runners Up:

•Family First

•The Liberal Party

•The National Party

Worst Anti-Drug Article from the Mainstream Media in 2008

Miranda Devine: A smoking gun in the drugs debate [Link] / Puff goes the drug liberaliser [Link]

Runners Up:

•Fiona Connolly: Cokehead should be ashamed [Link]

•News.com editorial: Drug book totally stupefying [Link]

•Piers Akerman: No quick fix for shooting gallery [Link]

Junk Science Claim from 2008

Cannabis shrinking the brain being proof of it’s danger

Runners Up:

•Drug decriminalisation increases the drug problem

•The Sydney MSIC is not saving lives

•Needle exchange programs do not stop the spread of blood-borne diseases

Most Biased Anti-Drug Journalist in 2008

Miranda Devine

Runners Up;

•News.com editorial team

•Piers Akerman

•Tim Blair

Most Dubious Politician in 2008 

Malcolm Turnbull: Leader of the Opposition

Whilst Malcolm Turnbull is urging people to quit smoking, the Libs continue to accept donations from tobacco companies. The coalition is the only political party to still accept tobacco industry donations since Mark Latham ended it for Labor in 2004. Turnbull also denounced cannabis as extremely dangerous after he succumbed to the current popular trend of admitting to cannabis use whilst at university. This dubious trend is just an extension of the Clintoneque, “I didn’t inhale” strategy that increased his popularity whilst not condoning drug use. It seems the public like the truthfulness which lead to a spate of Australian pollies admitting their prior use but condemning it for everyone else.

Runners Up:

•Senator Mathias Cormann: Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration

Out of nowhere came a media release slamming the government for abandoning the “the critically important war on drugs”. Corman fumbled about with cliché after cliché including this cracker, “Our children don’t need lessons on how to use harmful and illicit drugs. They need to get the clear message that drugs are bad”. To top it off, he asked why the government have ignored the The Bishop Report: “The Winnable War on Drugs”. You have to wonder why we know the answer yet he doesn’t.

•Kevin Rudd: Prime Minister

The lack of drug policies from the government has grown from a curiosity to a major concern. Throwing around the occasional “we are tough on drugs” claim seems to be the only current Labor strategy. Welfare payment quarantining for drug users was bandied about and even the eradication of opium crops in Afghanistan was once high on the agenda. We are still waiting for something sensible and helpful to be put into practice but for now, we are stuck with the continuation of Howard’s Zero Tolerance rhetoric.

•Anne Bressington: Independent Member of the SA Legislative Council

As a well known anti-drug zealot, Bressington continues to her attempts to introduce her Zero Tolerance ideology to South Australia. Against all the evidence and with detrimental consequences to drug users, she steam rolls ahead utilising the tactics and propaganda of other well known moral crusaders. 

Most Farcical Religious Anti-Drug Campaigner in 2008

Bill Mullenburg: Culture Watch Blog

Runners Up:

•Gary Christian: Drug Free Australia

•Fred Nile: Christian Democratic Party

•Carly Crutchfield: Scientology

Anti-Drug Propagandist - Rising Star Award for 2008

Darren Marton: Founder of The No-Way Campaign

Runners Up:

•Ryan Hidden: Director of the Recovered Drug Users’ League of SA

•Dr. Jan Copeland: National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC)

•Jade Lewis: Founder of Jade Lewis and Friends

Most Dangerous Anti-Drug Campaigner Internationally for 2008

Antonio Maria Costa(International): Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Runners Up:

•John Walters(US): Director of National Drug Control Policy/Drug Czar

•Calvina Fay(US): Drug Free America Foundation

•Torgny Peterson(Sweden): International Task Force on Strategic Drug Policy and the Global Institute on Drug Policy. 

Most Dangerous Anti-Drug Campaigner in Australian for 2008

Brian Watters

Runners Up:

•Dr. Stuart Reece

•Fred Nile

•Anne Bressington

Low Point in 2008

Continuing assault on Harm Minimisation

Runners Up:

•Gary Christian from Drug Free Australia hijacking the "Beyond 2008" International NGO Forum [Link]

•Kevin Rudd’s insistence on eradicating Afghanistan's opium fields at a NATO meeting which annoyed NATO leaders as just another US influenced non workable strategy [Link]

•S.A. Veterans' Affairs Minister, Michael Atkinson rejecting a trial of MDMA for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and insulting Democrat Sandra Kanck for suggesting it [Link]

*********************************************

The Bucket Head of the Year - 2008

The ultimate anti-drug zealot who made a huge impact on the downfall of humanity and sensibility in 2008

*********************************************

Anne Bressington: 

Independent Member of the SA Legislative Council

Runners Up:

•Miranda Devine - Journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald

•Harry Clarke - Economist / Blogger / Right Wing Commentator

•Margaret Court - Patron of Drug Free Australia / TV Evangelist / Faith Healer / Radical Pastor

Well, what can I say, except ... congratulations. For Anne, 2008 was another year of fanciful claims, dangerous laws and continuing attacks on Sandra Kanck. 

The list of achievements in 2008 that won Anne Bressington the prestigious Bucket Head of the Year award:

-banned drug paraphernalia in SA including items classed as culturally important and devices made to reduce harm for users including protection from HIV/AIDS

-kept up her push for compulsory drug testing in schools although it was condemned by many of those she claimed as supporters

-called on police to use sniffer dogs and drug testing at schoolies

-kept up a constant barrage of attacks and parliament interruptions on anyone who opposed her views especially SA Democrat, Sandra Kanck

-repeatedly introduced biased and non scientific “evidence’ into parliament to support her dubious claims

And for the history books, she claimed the term 'war on drugs' was coined by the legalisation movement to get people on their side.

Runners up include the obvious selection of Miranda Devine who narrowly missed out on the first position. Miranda has had a cracker of a year with her many anti-drug articles receiving a lot of attention. Unfortunately, it was mostly unwanted attention as she was ripped apart with criticisms of her highly dubious research. Probably her biggest mistake was taking on Dr. Alex Wodak who excels at disproving prohibitionist ideology which she blindly subscribes to. I doubt if any of this really matters to Miranda and she will happily continue on with her myopic anti-drug rants.

Though he has a smaller public profile, Harry Clarke is well known by many who take a keen interest in drug law reform. Unfortunately for him, he is not well known by those who agree with him but those who oppose him. He is such a arrogant, nasty shit who wants to sit above his opposition (being a professor and all) but just can’t seem to get the logic right to help his cause. This usually leads to insults on the drug using, non business like, pinko, leso, lefties aka health and welfare workers, who all want drugs sold to kids at 7-11. As an economist on the public purse, his use of rubbery logic to reach an anti-drug conclusion and his inappropriate comments to those on the front line of treatment should ring some warning bells. He sure makes an excellent case for why we can’t trust anti-drug zealots and his blog entries, media articles and contributions to the ANCD email forum show how far they will go to prove their point.

Last of all but certainly not least comes TV evangelist, Margaret Court. As the patron of Drug Free Australia(DFA) she highlights why DFA has no credibility ... she is a faith healer for god’s sake! She miraculously cures people with cancer, AIDS, tennis elbow and anything else that can’t be proven scientifically during her performance. Then she asks for money. Is DFA really an organisation that we, the tax payer should be funding?

Drug Frenzy & the Moral Massacre from Hell aka. Schoolies

When I was younger, there was no such thing as “Schoolies”. I had only first heard of it about 6-7 years ago and never thought much about it except why didn’t we do that. Each year though we hear more and more about schoolies and this year is no exception. So far, I’ve barely read anything positive written about the event and instead there has been a constant barrage of reports headlining drugs, sex, booze, violence and debauchery. Reading some of the stories makes it sound more like an analysis of a biker bash than a school event. Funny enough, the more I read, the more I wish I was young again. Some of the wonderful headlines from the last few years:

Headlines 2008 34,000 Expected For Schoolies Booze-Up (The Sunday Mail ) Police Watch Toolies, As Schoolies Want To Party (The Heraldsun) Drug Dogs For Schoolies Week (Abc) Police To Crackdown On Schoolies Driving (Smh) Roll Up For The Schoolies Rip-Off (The Courier-Mail) Police To Crackdown On Schoolies Driving (Smh) Parents Help Schoolies Stock Up On Alcohol (The Courier-Mail) Schoolies Face Security Crackdown (Daily Telegraph) Teenage Pregnancies The Unplanned Outcome Of Schoolies Week (The Courier-Mail) Headlines From NEWS.com.au 2007 Party Image 'Lure For Drugs' Olympian In Schoolies Drug Bust Schoolies Porn Claim Probed Schoolie In Vodka Binge

And the winner for most misleading headline is:

Sweaty Schoolies Caught in Virgin 'Sauna'  NEWS.com.au - 2007 -A group of schoolies flying to the Gold Coast this morning found their holiday steaming up faster than they could have ever hoped when the air conditioning failed, turning their Virgin Blue flight into a sauna and grounding the plane.

Every possible outcome has been written about over the last few years and then I found the article below from the HeraldSun. You know that when the media include sex/drinking/drugs, Scientology and pro-family groups in the same article it’s going to be a doozey ... and it is.

Schoolies To Face Drug, Condom Blitz Herald-Sun Emily Power and Aaron Langmaid November 2008 MORE than 15,000 schoolies on an annual party invasion will be bombarded with safe sex and anti-drug messages. A drug information booklet sponsored by the Church of Scientology, and free condoms from a health provider will be available to school-leavers letting off steam when official celebrations start on Saturday. About 7000 Victorians will flock to the Gold Coast, at least 5000 will party at Lorne and Torquay, and up to 3000 teens are anticipated at Phillip Island after exams finish today. Volunteers from a Scientology-backed anti-drug campaign group will be at Surfers Paradise handing out free booklets about popular party substances, including cocaine, ecstasy and LSD. The guides have been produced by Drug Free Ambassadors Australia, who are backed by the Church of Scientology. The booklets, explaining the dangers and health impacts of drug use, will be available at community centres in Lorne and Torquay. A health-care provider is offering free condoms to teens on schoolies holidays. Marie Stopes International's TXT 4 Free Condomz campaign will post teens two condoms when they send a message on their mobile. The organisation said some young people were too embarrassed or didn't have the money to buy condoms at a chemist or supermarket. But family groups have warned the guides could be sending the wrong message. Pro Family Perspective president Angela Conway said the right approach was important. "It is legitimate to ask questions about this and what message it's really sending," Ms Conway said. "The reality is, sadly, kids know a lot about what's out there. This could just be promoting it."

This article is scarier than most and any rational parent would think twice before allowing their kids to be exposed to what the article suggests. First up is the horrifying tactic from a healthcare provider that has been harshly criticised by family groups as promoting something evil to our young kids ... safe sex. Yes, rub your eyes and reread it ... safe sex. This dangerous strategy of promoting safe sex via free condoms has raised that most worrying of problems ... sending the wrong message. God help our kids who get the wrong message that it’s OK to have sex before marriage. Condoms will do that! Schoolies Chiefs Reject Brothel Offer of Free Condoms Of course there’s drinking and drugs. And who’s better to protect our kids from these evils than Ron. L. Hubbard’s own army of Drug Free Ambassadors. What the hell is a Drug Free Ambassador, you may ask? Drug Free Ambassadors in their own words:

The Campaign is mirrored off the very successful Drug-Free Marshall program which has run for the last 10 years in the United States and South Africa, with thousands of children participating in programs run in their schools, pledging to remain drug-free. It has created a base of youth that say "no" and do resist the temptation to "experiment" with drugs.

With all the bad press lately about Scientology, I somehow doubt that these Drug Free Ambassadors are going to be taken too seriously, especially to a schoolie who has beer to drink. The Drug-Free Ambassadors program is just another run-of-the-mill anti-drug group with links to Drug Free Australia (DFA), Carly Crutchfield and other cult like religious groups. They don’t support Harm Minimisation, demonise cannabis and support the usual strategies of “Just Say No” campaigns. It’s also just another door for attracting scientology members and they employ the old “Q & A” strategy where they walk around with clipboards, pens and a questionnaire but under the pretence of answering drug related questions. You know the drill.

Then it became clear that most of them were tied up with the false idea that they were not supposed to promote their ideas to other people making statements like, "You can't tell people what to think" or "People have to make up their own minds." This sounds fine in theory but the result in practice was that people felt they could not "interfere" at all with someone's privacy and so they were inhibited about taking any responsibility at all! They felt it was somehow wrong to tell someone else that drug taking was a wrong thing to do. But this is what they should be doing. Not just preaching "Don't take drugs", but really knowing about the subject and the effects and giving them some cold, hard facts. We need to be able to talk to our friends when we can see they need help and reach out and do something -Drug Free Ambassadors - Church of Scientology

Maybe you might want to check out Drug Free Dave. I suggest you do.

I'm a Warrior against edictive Drugs -Drug Free Dave. Drug Free Ambassadors - Church of Scientology

With so many young people in one place there’s bound to be an huge influx of drug dealers. Victor Harbour, S.A. is one of those places. The Adelaide Advertiser has reported that Victor Harbour had an ecstasy bust with 2 men being caught in separate incidents with a staggering total of 39 ecstasy pills between them. Apart from that, no one was nicked for drink/drug driving and 32 drug diversion and cannabis expiation notices were handed out. Arrrh ... the wonders of decriminalisation. NEWS.com.au though, outdid themselves again with a report that $1 million worth of drugs were stopped on their way to schoolies. One small problem ... it was only a guess. The drugs were found in South Brisbane not Surfers Paradise and the police didn’t actually say they were for schoolies. Why bother with details when you have a potential headline with schoolies and drugs in it?

Police Seize $1m of 'Schoolies' Drugs NEWS.com.au November 2008 -Two arrested after drugs seized -Police says drugs destined for schoolies -Full coverage: Global addiction Two 20-year-old men have been arrested after Queensland police seized more than $1 million worth of drugs they fear may have been destined for schoolies week celebrations. Superintendent John Pointing, of the State Drug and Property Crime Group, said police found $17,500 in cash, two firearms and a stash of drugs, believed to be heroin, cocaine, methylamphetamine and MDMA, in two south Brisbane homes. He said it was possible the drugs were to be distributed at schoolies week and upcoming events. "We'd be naive to think that some of these drugs weren't destined for schoolies and other events ... in the near future," Supt Pointing said. "This is a very serious matter and we're very pleased to have taken this amount of drugs off the streets." Supt Pointing said parents should talk to their children about the dangers of drugs. "(Our) purpose is to raise awareness of the amount of drugs that are out there and it's timely ... for parents to think about their children, talk to their children about drugs."

When In School ... Do as the Schoolies Do We know that when young adults get their first taste of a week away from their parents that they are just like us and want to go sight seeing and experience some fine food at the best restaurants in town. Being surrounded by thousands of people their own age and away from their parents is just a minor distraction from the historical sites and local tours. Coming of age with half naked members of the opposite sex piled up in thousands of parent free apartments is just a side issue as there are the local wineries and beautiful countryside to explore. Being able to drink as much as you want and have the usual assortment of mind altering drugs available shouldn’t deter these young people from doing what we do on our holidays. Hmmm. Maybe not. But there are some alternatives to the mainstream schoolies: http://www.suqld.org.au/camps/camps.php?show=3 http://www.edgeonweb.org/read/opinion/schooliesweek.shtm We have to honest about what happens at schoolies. Think back to when you were about the same age and you had a chance to go away for a week or so with the same conditions? You would want real information how ever confronting it is. The Drug Free Ambassadors or the pro-family groups will not give real information for the fear of sending the wrong message which is simply dangerous and naive. Wishing for something like good old Christian behaviour cannot replace reality. I found these well thought out and responsible links for some useful information: Reach Out: [Link] Youth Central: [Link] TXT 4 Free Condoms: [Link] For those who hate the idea of schoolies, I found quite a few people wanting it banned. Even the ex Queensland premier, Peter Beatie considered banning schoolies once but he changed his mind. God bless him. South Australia’s mother of morals (the one with a 7-11 haircut), Anne Bressington, tried to introduce a bill into parliament which gave police the power to expel any schoolie from the event if found using or possessing alcohol or drugs during Schoolies Week. Bressington also called on police to use sniffer dogs and drug testing at schoolies. It’s shouldn’t be surprising considering her various attempts at stigmatising drug users but subjecting schoolies to even harsher penalties will not reduce drug use. This is something that Bressington has never understood and why she is completely irrelevant to rational drug policy debate. One chap who really dislikes the event is pastor, Craig Lloyd from the Grace Bible Church in Brisbane. Actually, I don’t think he likes anything.

First – Get Sodom out of your lives Make sure that what you do as a family is godly. What you expose them to, which friends they choose, what you watch on TV, what you do–make sure it is godly and edifying. You don’t have to take them out of the world–but do what you can to insulate them from the world. It is hard. I know how hard it is. Talk to them. If school or friends or activities are corrupting their soul–move them. If I thought school was leading my kids astray–I would pull them out–change schools–home-school them. I still have to face the dread of schoolies. I am sure schoolies started in Sodom. Hormone fuelled promiscuity, drugs and trouble. If I trust my kids and know who they are with and where–maybe. If not–I trust my relationship is such with them that I can say no to certain ways of doing schoolies. Get Sodom out of their lives. Men, women–you don’t want the heartache of drugs, unwanted pregnancy, rebellion in your children. -Preached by Craig Lloyd

So what did happened at schoolies this year. Was it a frenzy of violence, sex and drugs that only hell itself can replicate? It’s only two days into the event so there’s plenty of time for satin to do his thing but so far it’s been a bit of a fizzer for the doomsday nay-sayers. Only a few schoolies arrested at each hotspot with the usual hangers-on causing most of the problems. Maybe they are more cunning this year or maybe they have been well behaved. Maybe the increased police and security has had an effect or God forbid, most of them took on some responsibility. Either way, it will start all over again next year with the same warnings, advice, threats, scare tactics, pleads and sensational headlines. Whatever ... I still wish I was young again. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/22/2427063.htm

Tough Drug Policies Failing, Stupidy, Pyne Again & Daily Telegraph Readers

“Tough on Drugs” is a Useless Policy

The World Health Organisation recently completed a huge survey titled, Toward a Global View of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Cocaine Use: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. 

Description: Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use cause considerable morbidity and mortality, but good cross-national epidemiological data are limited. This paper describes such data from the first 17 countries participating in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative.

Here’s the interesting part:

Drug use does not appear to be related to drug policy, as countries with more stringent policies (e.g., the US) did not have lower levels of illegal drug use than countries with more liberal policies (e.g., The Netherlands).

[...]

Nevertheless, the study did find clear differences in drug use across different regions of the world, with the US having among the highest levels of legal and illegal drug use of all the countries surveyed.

For those demanding Australia to toughen up on drug policy, you are WRONG. More punitive actions WILL NOT help the drug problem. Please, please, leave it to medical and related experts who don’t have a political or religious agenda.

Full report here

Five Defining Characteristics of Stupidity

Rick Shenkman an associate professor of history at George Mason University defines stupidity as 5 basic types. What first struck me was how many Zero Tolerance buffoons fit neatly into the stupidity types. Read the definitions whilst keeping in mind the people who regularly call for tougher drug penalties or implementing Zero Tolerance and the penny will drop. At least 4 of 5 definitions will apply to these people.

Five defining characteristics of stupidity:

First, is sheer ignorance: Ignorance of critical facts about important events in the news, and ignorance of how our government functions and who's in charge. 

Second, is negligence: The disinclination to seek reliable sources of information about important news events. 

Third, is wooden-headedness, as the historian Barbara Tuchman defined it: The inclination to believe what we want to believe regardless of the facts.

Fourth, is shortsightedness: The support of public policies that are mutually contradictory, or contrary to the country's long-term interests. 

Fifth, and finally, is a broad category I call bone-headedness, for want of a better name: The susceptibility to meaningless phrases, stereotypes, irrational biases, and simplistic diagnoses and solutions that play on our hopes and fears.

-Rick Shenkman, Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, associate professor of history at George Mason University

Chris Pyne: Stupidity Has No Bounds

I recently found an article that Dr David Caldicott wrote in 2007 about the ex federal minister for ageing, Chris Pyne and his complete lack of knowledge on issues he reguarly comments about. It’s a doozy especially where Pyne declared that ecstasy was cut with “hydrochloric acid”. He wrongly came to that conclusion from the technical term for MDMA because it exists as a “hydrochloric salt” like many other chemicals. He put the two together and came up with “Ecstasy is cut with hydrochloric acid”. If that wasn’t bad enough, when asked where the hell he got his info from, he said the newspapers! Maybe the reports on the subject, that the government commissioned, had too many big words. Recommended reading.

Pyne's Pain by Dr David Caldicott

Some Daily Telegraph Readers Are Disgusting

Yesterday, a Daily Telegraph article about a student who died from a drug overdose was met with this comment:

Oh well, one less drug addict off the streets. It isn't the dealers we need to worry about. It is the addicts who will kill their own family just to get their next hit.

-Posted by: Andrew B of The hills district

Georgia Chant, was a 15-year-old student at Barrenjoey High School on Sydney's northern beaches. Since she died from a drug overdose, this rabid, lowlife felt it was important enough to go out of way to write his comment. What if her family reads this? What if it was his daughter or sister? You, Andrew B, of the hills district [sic] are a clueless wanker. I would happily do jail time just to get you alone in a room for 10 minutes. You freak.

Some Daily Telegraph Readers Are Spot-On

In response to a Daily Telegraph article last year, this comment has to be one the best I have read.

Readers Comment:

Anti-drug's campaigner, Carly Crutchfield. Is she anti-drugs, or just anti-illicits? She stated, "Young people do not try to hide it and do not think it's wrong". 

Why would she believe that young people should think drug consumption is wrong and hide it away when the Drug Cartels of tri-methyl-xanthine/caffeine, ethane hydroxide/ethyl alcohol and nicotine constantly target the young and we have our media, our sporting personalities, our celebrities and yes, even our so-called anti-drug campaigners, stating that it's 'okay to consume these drugs',. They don't give a damn when the drug dealers say you can 'party on these drugs'., while not one drug dealer has to put out any warning signs on the drugs they deal and advocate to children as well as adults, while helping the Government to eradicate the 'competition', the so-called 'illicits'. 

The 7.30 Report stated that Police knew 30 days before Annabelle Catt's death that there was the toxic amphetamine PMA in a batch of street ecstasy, but no warnings were given and no drug testing by consumers is allowed. If Mr. Debnam wants to intervene early, then he needs to intervene on drug abuse only, and not just on choice of drug.

-Posted by: D.Nentwig of NSW

Article: Labor's Drug Surrender