MILAN, Italy, April 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — During the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Milano and Cortina, more than 600 volunteers with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World traveled across Italy to educate athletes, tourists and residents about the harmful effects of drugs and provide materials aimed at prevention.
At the Milano Olympic Village, volunteers presented Truth About Drugs educational materials to 143 athletes and staff members. Those introduced to the campaign represented 37 countries, including Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand and the Czech Republic, and signed a pledge to stay drug-free.
After receiving a Truth About Drugs booklet, a Belgian speed skater emphasized the importance of education in prevention efforts: “The most important part is knowledge and how bad it could be for your body. The most important part is just knowing what happens because I think it’s still not fully known, especially for the kids.” He added, “We should all be drug-free, especially in sports where it’s definitely dangerous to take drugs.”
Beyond the Olympic Village, volunteers distributed more than two million Truth About Drugs booklets throughout Italy. The materials were also placed in more than 12,000 shops, making them available to customers as well as tourists and local residents.
Volunteers reported strong public interest in the campaign. In Milano, one volunteer group was approached by a woman who asked for a display stand after learning about the materials. According to the volunteers, she said there were about 100 families in her apartment building and that she would distribute the booklets herself.
In Brescia, a volunteer described similar enthusiasm from local businesses: “The owner said he had already received one booklet display recently but had run out because he himself was putting one in each customer’s bag with their meat.” Volunteers said they encountered comparable responses in many cities along their route.
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nongovernmental drug education and prevention organization. Through its international network of volunteers, millions of educational booklets and prevention materials have been distributed in more than 190 countries. Supported by the Church of Scientology, these materials are provided free of charge to individuals and groups seeking to address drug abuse through education and prevention.
For more information, visit www.drugfreeworld.org.
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SOURCE Foundation for a Drug-Free World
