SCI-FI WRITER RON HUBBARD HAD A 'PURIFICATION PROCESS' FOR DRUG ABUSERS

This Is Your Brain On Drugs, Now This Is Your Brain On Scientology.

The controversial organization that claims to be a religion held a concert
at Nathan Phillips Square yesterday selling a message of a drug-free world.
The "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" campaign sponsored by the Church of
Scientology of Toronto, has been putting on concerts since 1992.

Most of the 200 seats laid out were empty (metallic seats under the hot sun
would explain it, a church spokesman said), but people in the area, whether
on lunch break or just passing through, seemed to enjoy the music. They
could have cared less that the group, whose practices have frequently been
attacked, sponsored the event. "Doesn't John Travolta belong to the church?
Then it's OK," said Lesley, who sat listening to the music. "The music is
pretty good.

I haven't heard many good things about them, but it's a good message to the
kids," said John Gartner. A booth provided lots of pamphlets on drug abuse,
plus writings on the subject by Scientology's founder, sci-fi writer L. Ron
Hubbard. Hubbard prescribed his own "purification process" for drug abusers,
which includes daily trips to the sauna to sweat out the toxins. "If the
Purification program can be used to salvage even part of a civilization sick
from the onslaught of drugs and other toxic substances, then perhaps there
is hope for all that civilization," Mr. Hubbard wrote.

At yesterday's event, children could sign up and become a "drug-free
marshall" by taking a pledge that includes living a drug-free life, learning
more about how drugs really harm people and telling people the truth about
the harmful effects of drugs.

Al Buttnor, director of the campaign, said Scientology was there for only
one purpose: to send out the message that "we don't want people substituting
drugs for living." Scientology is all about spiritual wellbeing, he said,
and "drugs hold the person back in spiritual awareness."

City councilor Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, who chaired a major task force on
drugs, took centre stage to compliment the organization's drug fighting
efforts. "I'm not into the religious side of the stuff. I'm not promoting
that. I'm here because they are doing a job in a certain area that has been
very 'proactive' regarding drug prevention and that's what counts here. It
has nothing in my mind to do with the religious side of things," he said