2009-11-18 19:02:35 - Members of the Church of Scientology of Sydney, Australia, who belong to the Drug-Free Ambassadors were out in force Sunday, November 15, distributing thousands of fliers at the 26th annual Glebe Street Fair.

The volunteer's purpose: to inform kids about drug abuse and the truth about drugs so they make informed decisions to stay drug free.

Concerned about a new drug called Mephedrone, or “MM-Cat,” that Sydney students and club goers buy over the Internet, the Drug-Free Ambassadors spent the day talking to kids and teens, swearing them in as Drug-Free Ambassadors. New Drug-Free

Ambassadors take a pledge to be drug free and to help their family and friends do the same.

“The drug-free message is really important to get out in times like these,” said Drug-Free Ambassadors spokesperson Cyrus Brooks. “People are bombarded with bad news in the media and they look for escape, especially young people. Unfortunately there is a lot of false propaganda around that drugs and alcohol provide that escape. We need to attack these lies as it’s just not true.”

Brooks and his Drug-Free Ambassador team inform youth of the short-term effects of drugs such as Mephedrone and Ecstasy, which include paranoia and depression, and that users risk even more serious long-term effects such as kidney failure and cardiovascular collapse.

Cocaine, another popular “party drug,” has similar effects but can also cause tactile hallucination, with some kids talking about having the sensation of bugs burrowing into their skin. This drug can also cause reproductive damage and infertility. “Drugs like these ruin lives,” says Brooks. “The best solution is to not get caught in the drug trap in the first place.”

At the Glebe Street Fair the Drug-Free Ambassadors distributed a brochure explaining what drugs are, how they destroy creativity and why drugs don’t actually bring happiness, but quite the opposite. Dixon Restaurant in Chinatown and the Church of Scientology of Australia funded the printing of the brochure, which is being translated into Chinese and Korean to get the word out to Sydney’s Asian population too.

Drug-Free Ambassadors, founded by the Church of Scientology in 1993, helps communities all over Australia fight the scourge of drugs. For more information on the Drug-Free Ambassadors of Sydney visit their web site at www.drugfreeambassadors.com.au.