Open House Sheds Light on Marijuana Myths and the Goal of a Drug-Free World
Red Ribbon Week event features expert Will Jones on marijuana marketing, risk perception, and abuse prevention strategies.
WASHINGTON, DC, November 06, 2025 -- Red Ribbon Week is an annual alcohol, tobacco, drug, and violence prevention campaign observed at the end of October in the United States. It began as a tribute to DEA special agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who was murdered in 1985. It is dedicated to drug and violence prevention. The week promotes a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle, awareness of the dangers of drug use, and a sense of community responsibility in preventing substance abuse.
In observance of Red Ribbon Week, the Founding Church of Scientology hosted an open house, organized by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, which brought together community members, prevention leaders, and local officials for an enlightening program on marijuana, drug education, and creating a drug-free community.
Guests toured the Public Information Center, which featured Truth About Drugs educational displays that contain factual materials about commonly used street drugs and their effects.
Chas Smith, External Affairs Director of the Founding Church of Scientology shared drug statistics for the Washington, D.C. area, and provided an overview of Red Ribbon Week, the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention campaign, established to promote the importance of living drug-free.
Thalia Ghiglia, Church of Scientology National Affairs Office Faith Liaison for the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Washington, D.C., presented an overview of the foundation's drug education campaign, explaining how it provides free educational materials to empower youth, parents, schools, law enforcement and community leaders with the facts about drugs so they can make informed choices and lead healthier lives.
The feature presentation, "Marijuana: What Do We Know? Where Are We Now?," was delivered by Will Jones III, founder of Two is Enough D.C., and a nationally recognized expert on marijuana drug policy. Jones explored the impact of marijuana on communities, comparing areas where it has been legalized to those where it has not. He also exposed the mass marketing strategies that have fueled the demand for marijuana and discussed the organizations investing heavily in the industry.
Jones noted, "Over 80 percent of the profits in the marijuana industry come from 30 percent of users (the heaviest users), an imbalance which points to a business model that depends on exploitation rather than wellness." He also addressed misconceptions surrounding so-called "medical marijuana," noting that normally medicines are highly regulated in terms of dosage and quality. Marijuana contains a compound called THC which is the chemical which makes people feel "high." In the 1960s and 1970s, the average levels of THC in marijuana were usually around 1% to 3%. Due to selective breeding, today's marijuana has an average of 15% to 30% THC. Some marijuana products include preparations which state they contain up to 99% pure THC.
Jones further pointed out that the "legalization versus incarceration" debate is a false dichotomy, arguing that these are not the only two options for addressing drug use, despite being presented that way by legalization advocates.
The event concluded with an invitation to tour the Public Information Center once more to learn about the Church of Scientology's community outreach initiatives and an invitation to join forces with Drug-Free World to continue working toward a healthier, drug-free DC.
The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office represents the Church in the Nation's Capital and works with many organizations to improve human rights, criminal law reform, drug education, and religious freedom internationally.
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