On the streets of Athens, Greece, it is called “Sisa.” It is a deadly mixture of methamphetamine and fillers that sometimes include battery acid. Because it is so inexpensive, it is often called the “poor man’s cocaine.”
To many politicians and police in the country, the situation seems insoluble.
But not to Florita Gerasimidou. She and her fellow Scientologists rolled up their sleeves and set out to educate people throughout the country using booklets, videos and lectures to spread the message of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World (DFW) person to person.
“We started increasing the amount of distribution in streets, parks and squares,” Florita told Freedom. “Also, in order to do more, we … started activating store owners. We also contacted city halls and presented municipal officials with the Drug-Free World portfolio, informing them of what we were doing.”
Florita and members of the Church believe the drug information has had a positive impact on attitudes throughout the Greek islands. They point to government statistics showing falling drug rates.
Based on the data provided by the Greek Center of Monitoring and Information, there was a 92 percent drop in drug-related deaths in Athens alone, from 2011 to 2014. Between 2011 and 2015, substance abuse-related arrests and convictions in Greece fell by 33 percent.
