Some of you may have seen Graeme Wilson's letter to The Scotsman newspaper about Scientology's anti-drugs campaign:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=976562002&rware=KUXBPSDEQYMV&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=1
Fight against drugs not over
THE article, "Scientologists back anti-drugs festival" (News, August 22) got it right in the heading, but thereafter seems to have lost the plot.
Is it really necessary to create a controversy by stirring it with someone in the council and in the Church of Scotland, when the controversy was already there? In the one corner, drug pushers are killing youngsters with drugs and the growing and defeatist "harm reduction" movement (kids will take drugs anyway so give them clean needles and prescribed - more addictive - ‘replacement’ drugs) is factually condoning it.
In the other corner we have the Church of Scientology and surprisingly few other organisations but many individuals who believe the war on drugs is not over and can be won.
The US Court case John Rutter refers to was not decided "this year" but about 16 years ago - based on "expert testimony’’ later completely debunked - some years before Scientology was given full recognition in the US in 1993.
Scientologists are 100 per cent drug-free.
In my experience those who oppose our anti-drugs campaign are usually pushing drugs or at least taking them - or are incited by those who are, they’re doped or duped.
Graeme Wilson Say No To Drugs, Say Yes To Life campaign co-ordinator, Church of Scientology
[Mr. Wilson is actually OSA - he is the UK Director of Special Affairs]
----------------
Anyway, here's my response:
Dear Sir,
Graham Wilson of the Church of Scientology ("Fight against drugs not over", Letters, 7 Sep) makes the remarkable claim that "those who oppose our anti-drugs campaign are usually pushing drugs or at least taking them".
Does this include Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London? Just over a year ago, he banned a Scientologist anti-drugs rally from Trafalgar Square, stating that "Nothing about the activities of this group leads me to believe that this is anything other than a cynical method of promoting the Scientology creed."
Mr. Wilson's claim that "Scientologists are 100% drug free" is also very dubious. Scientology's track record in rehabilitating drug abusers is very poor. A 1981 study of Swedish graduates of Scientology's "Narconon" programme showed that only 6.6% were still totally drug free a year later - a success rate far below that of conventional programmes.
Chris Owen
| Chris Owen - ronthewarhero@OISPAMNOyahoo.co.uk |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| THE TRUTH ABOUT L. RON HUBBARD AND THE UNITED STATES NAVY |
| http://www.ronthewarhero.org |