Federal Council does not want anti-drug posters throughout Switzerland

At the end of 2024, eye-catching anti-drug posters appeared in Lausanne. The slogans read something like: "Inform your children before drug dealers do." The messages came from the association "Dites non à la drogue, oui à la vie", as reported by "24heures" in December.

The campaign sparked criticism - also because of its proximity to the Church of Scientology. FDP politician Marlène Bérard said in the municipal parliament at the time that the posters were "of public benefit" at first glance. However, as with previous Scientology campaigns, the creators were more interested in recruiting new members.

Following protests, the advertisement was quickly removed from the city's public transport system. The transport company called it a "mistake" and tightened its controls. The city of Lausanne expressly welcomed this step, as the city councillor responsible explained.

SVP politician sees no problem with this

SVP National Councillor Yvan Pahud has no major problem with the fact that organizations promote complete abstinence from drugs in a sect-like manner and thus contradict drug prevention research. On the contrary. He writes in a preliminary motion: "Even if the initiator of this awareness-raising campaign, the Church of Scientology, can be questioned, the effect of these anti-drug posters on the general public is to be welcomed."

He therefore wanted to know what the Federal Office of Public Health was doing in this area and whether such campaigns were an issue for the whole of Switzerland. However, the federal government waved this off and reminded legislators that the cantons, not the federal government, were responsible for prevention measures.

Even if the federal government could be active in this area, however, the Federal Council rejects such campaigns: "The effect would be low due to the large scattering losses, while the costs would be high."

In its response, the Federal Council emphasized that drug prevention must be tailored to the target groups. Blanket campaigns with posters are not effective, as they do not reach those who are actually affected. In addition, deterrent messages could have a counterproductive effect, especially among young people, as the Federal Council explained.

Unscientific methods

Behind the campaign is the "Foundation for a Drug-Free World", which is run by the Church of Scientology. According to research, it was founded in Los Angeles in 2006 and uses its own materials, such as the series "The Truth About Drugs".

Experts criticize the content as scientifically untenable and accuse the organization of scaremongering - for example with statements that drug use can lead to murder, as reported by several media outlets.

The organization works closely with other scientology-related programs such as Narconon, which have also been criticized in the past for controversial prevention offers. Campaigns have already been stopped in several US cities after links to the Church of Scientology became known. In California, the Department of Education also called on schools to stop using the programs as they were "unscientific".