100,000 Drug Education Booklets to be Handed out

December 12, 2007

NEW YEARS EVE 2007 - While millions of party-goers pour into the city to watch the spectacular fire-works that bring in the New Year in Sydney Harbour, two Sydney-siders have enlisted a team to fight back against the alcohol and drug excesses that also mark the end of the year.

In a blitz on 28 December, a team of 100 friends and associates are going to distribute 100,000 drug facts booklets to youth across key strategic locations around Sydney and the outer suburbs. The four main drugs of choice are targeted with a booklet detailing side-effects and personal stories of users - ice, marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.

With the catchy slogan "Drugs are for sheep. Be Original. Get the facts and make your own choice" on the back of each booklet, factual, straightforward facts are presented in a non-judgemental, non accusative manner so readers can make up their own mind.

Brother and sister Nick and Sophia Banks, who currently live in LA with their respective American actor spouses, grew up in Sydney and know how prevalent drugs are in various social sets. 90% of cocaine is consumed in Sydney and marijuana has always been a mainstay drug of choice along the beach fronts and out West. While over 1 in 3 young people will try marijuana in their lifetime, few can name the long and short term side effects of the drug and are putting harmful chemicals into their body without knowing the consequences. The only person who profits from such ignorance is the drug dealer.

Home for Christmas and to bring in the New Year, Nick and Sophie decided to do something different than tolerate ignorant drug users being taken advantage of. Sick of the growing problem, they called on their friend, anti-drug campaigner and spokesperson for Drug Free Ambassadors Australia, Carly Crutchfield and brainstormed how to reach as many people as possible in a big way to get the facts about drugs into the hands of young people. It needed to be done the right way - no scare tactics to try and freak people out. Just real info so that people can make their own choices.

Sophia Banks, aged 29, is co-designer of Fashion Label Whitley Kros which exploded onto the runways with a debut show at the LA Fashion Week several months ago and was featured in LA times, Wwd, Style.com, Vogue.com.uk, Elle and L'umomo Vogue. Her design partner is actress and designer Marissa Ribissi (married to elective alternative rock musician Beck). Sophia is also introducing her new husband American actor/Musician Marcus Coloma (Material Girls, South Beach) to her Sydney lifestyle, and along with her brother Nick's wife, actress Erin Banks, all four will hit the streets on 28 December with the other 100 volunteers to hand out the Truth about Drugs booklets.

"I wanted an original concept to get across the truth about drugs to my friends and to young people who are growing up in Sydney, exposed to a lot of social drinking and more and more drugs. We are drug-free and I know how to have a great time without taking toxic substances into my body, with false highs from deadly chemicals. Young people are concerned about their looks and drugs really takes a negative toll on your skin, hair and appearance and in the long run when you weigh it up, it is not worth it. To get anywhere in a career, business or sport, you have to be fresh, alert and clean and you have to be willing to be original," says Sophia. "Nick and I feel strongly about this so we are going to do something effective and Carly's "Drugsalvage" myspace page showed us that education about drugs works with a large percentage and people can make their own choices to go drug-free and still have a great time, if they have enough information."

Carly Crutchfield states: "This event isn't about telling people what to do or scaring them out of taking drugs. This is just about free and real education and individual choices. New Years Eve is all about fun. We want to party hard, but we don't want to be passed out in a park or on the beach the next day, or vomiting into the toilet rather than dancing up a storm with our friends."

She continues, "The problem here is that there is a myth out there that drugs can be fun or will make the night better. And it really is false because any drug user will tell you that there is a ferocious low that follows any drug taking and it is a really, really horrible feeling. And its builds up. And this is something that is not often talked about. We hear about the two extremes of drugs: the real highs a drug can give you or the fact that it could kill you. There is also a middle ground, and that's the fact that while taking drugs may give you a 'high' for a couple of hours, it will then be followed by a depression-like feeling. And who wants to start the New Year feeling like that! We want to make sure that before people start making serious choices that can affect their halth and mental well-being, they have all the information about the drug and its effects."

"I love Australia, it has so much opportunity and so much talent. Australians are really succeeding in every field both overseas and here at home. I want to give something back because I know that every time a person takes drugs they take away from their own personal success and talent a little bit. I really want people to start the New Year, with a fresh look and there eyes on their goals, because with a clear head and a little determination you can achieve anything, isn't that better than any drug, I mean who would trade their dreams for drugs, sure as hell not me"

MARCUS: "My acting career took off the right after I decided not to take drugs and got healthy. Having a clear head meant I could really focus on my dreams and make them a actuality"

If you are interested in being a volunteer on the day, contact Drug Free Ambassadors spokesperson Carly Crutchfield on 0433 110 379 or directly through the website at www.drugfacts.org.au where you can also find likes to free downloads of the 10 Truth About Drug booklets.

DRUG FREE AMBASSADORS AUSTRALIA is a secular, non-profit organisation based in Sydney, Australia. It was established to meet the increasing demand for the international "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" drug prevention program, which has been conducted around the world for more than 20 years by members of Scientology churches in collaboration with the interfaith community, volunteer organizations, educational institutions and government agencies.

The purpose of the DFA Australia is to empower youth and adults with the facts about drugs so they can make an informed decision to say no, and help others make the same decision.