Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe Conference
12 October 2005 — Brussels
The Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe presented today a conference spotlighting the fallacy of harm reduction as an anti-drug strategy and encouraging drug-free solutions to the problem. Presentations were made by guest speakers David Raynes, Executive Councilor, UK Drug Prevention Alliance; Torgny Peterson, former member of the Swedish government’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Illicit Drugs and Psychotic Substances and Bo Persson, President Narconon Europe.
Mr. Raynes, former Assistant Chief Investigation Officer of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise National Investigation Service, has served in the British Cabinet and Northern Ireland offices. He voiced his concerns about political pressure being levied promoting drug legalization. Mr. Raynes pointed out that any such action would undermine the UN Conventions on Drugs, due to be reviewed in 2008.
Narconon Europe President Bo Persson spoke about Narconon’s drug-free rehabilitation, a highly successful program dedicated to eliminating drug abuse and drug addiction through prevention, education and rehabilitation. He explained that Narconon Europe manages 70 groups in Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan, and that those centers which provide drug-rehabilitation use effective drug-free methods based on technology developed by humanitarian
Mr. Pascal Cottier of the Church of Scientology International European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights acted as master of ceremonies for the conference. He concluded the conference by emphasizing that to accomplish the objectives of the Foundation and the EU Anti-Drug Plan for 2005-2008, government and civil society must work together to make effective anti-drug programs broadly available to the people of Europe.