On this day...

Meddling with Minds

Scientologists urge U.S. curbs on easily obtained hallucinogen BZ
Date: Thursday, 23 August 1979
Publisher: Los Angeles Times (California)
Author: Paul Glenchur
Main source: link (59 KiB)

WASHINGTON — With a phone call to a pharmaceutical firm in New Jersey, American Citizens for Honesty in Government, an affiliate of the Church of Scientology, obtained a small amount of BZ, a hallucinogen used by the Army in the 1960's for chemical warfare tests.

A spokesman for the drug firm, Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., acknowledged that it had furnished the drug to the Scientologists and said steps had been taken to strengthen drug distribution security.

The Scientologists, who said BZ is more potent than LSD, charged at a press conference Wednesday that the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration had been guilty of negligence by failing to control the drug's availability.

The Scientologists obtained 100 milligrams of the chemical by telephoning a request to Dr. William E. Scott at Hoffmann-La Roche in early July. Vaughn Young, editor of a Scientology publication, said he told the firm he wanted the drug for research purposes.

About three weeks later, a vial of the drug arrived in a cardboard box.

After searching for government controls for BZ and finding none, the Scientologists called the news conference Wednesday and displayed the chemical.

"If BZ were a controlled substance," Young said, "federal agents would quickly take me into tow, but the drug right now sits here legally obtained."

The Army, which still keeps stockpiles of the drug, conducted BZ tests on soldiers in the 1960's but did not follow up to check for long-range effects. The Scientologists said they have located soldiers who have complained about after-effects, including amnesia and weight loss.

[The Danish High Court awarded the Church of Scientology ...]
Date: Saturday, 23 August 1986
Publisher: Weekly Challenger (Florida)
Main source: link (59 KiB)

The Danish High Court awarded the Church of Scientology in Denmark over 1.4 million Danish Kroner in damages against three apostate members from England. The damages award, one of the highest amounts ever awarded in a Danish court, was the result of a case brought against former church members for their involvement in the theft of sacred upper level church Scriptures from the church in Denmark.

In December 1983, Robin Scott returned to Denmark and was subsequently arrested and taken to prison for the theft of the religious scriptures. Shortly thereafter, Scott was convicted on charges of industrial espionage and after serving a jail sentence was expelled from Denmark.

Following Scott's trial the church began an exhaustive investigation to recover the stolen scriptures which resulted in injunctions against the illegal use of the stolen scriptures in both Scotland and England and the safe return of the stolen materials to the church.

In February of this year, the church filed suit in Copenhagen against the three thieves in order to regain their cost in recovering the stolen scriptures.

On Monday, Aug. 11 the high court judge granted the church's damages claim, ordering the defendents to pay the church 1.4 million DKR within two weeks plus 37,000 DKR in court costs.

According the Danish church spokesman Peter Jensen, "the court has recognized the extreme value of our scriptures and the fact that we are the only rightful owner of them. We feel that the court's decision shows that common criminals who try to steal religious materials in order to make a quick ill-gotten buck will not be tolerated by the Danish court system."

Jensen stated that the judgement will now go to the high court in Scotland and England so that it can be enforced on the defendents.

Comment // Results are proof // My priority is clear
Date: Thursday, 23 August 1990
Publisher: East Grinstead Courier (UK)
Main source: link (70 KiB)

Results are proof

MY interest in writing to you is humanitarian. I am a founding member of Narconon in England and have worked with young people on the Narconon programme.

I have also assisted in the writing of an authoritative book on the subject called Drugs and Drug Rehabilitation.

Possibly your article on Narconon last week failed in one respect, which was to delineate the difference between advice and total freedom from the effects of drugs on young lives. It is worthy that there can be an advice centre but what is also needed in this field is results.

These are some of the hard facts: According to the Social Services Department in Sweden, the Narconon programme there has a 71 per cent success rate, i.e. 71 per cent of people who have been through the programme are living completely drug-free lives. Similarly, in Spain, 76 per cent success rate has been validated.

In the United States, 66,000 people have successfully completed this drug rehabilitation programme since it started in 1966. Today, the Narconon Chilocco Centre in Oklahoma is the largest drug rehabilitation centre in the entire world.

In the USSR, where there is an increasing drug problem the government has officially recognised the Narconon drug rehabilitation programme. The first office opens in Russia next week and a 400 bed hospital has already been allocated solely for the purpose of drug rehabilitation under Narconon.

Anyone who has seen lives ruined by drug addiction will understand the importance of the work being done by this group. The results have long since been vindicated. By their deeds shall yet know them.

A worker in this field is always dedicated and works long hours. His religious affiliations are not the issue. 

What matters is whether or not he can save youngsters from the horrendous ill effects (including death, all too often) of drug addiction.

Mrs S.W. Hebblewhite,
Executive Council Member,
Narconon UK,
High Street,
East Grinstead.

 

My priority is clear

NEARLY 20 years ago, a drug addict in an extreme condition was released from the probation on which he had been placed for possession of drugs, into my charge, and that of my wife, who is a State Registered Nurse and a registered sick children's nurse. He was looked after on a pilot project, which greatly refined and expanded, is now the Narconon Programme.

As the programme stands now, it is being lauded as effective in many parts of the world, and government funded in countries in Europe.

Having read your front page article with interest, surely the decision that has to be made for those in the unfortunate position to have to make it, is 'Do I opt for the proven programme that will bring a drug-free, healthy happy future to the addict, or do I spend my £5,000 on a new car?'

If the new car wins, one is left only with what Ms Clay calls 'the first step towards directing someone to what is hopefully the right treatment.'

In this day and age, I know what my priority would be.

Major P. Wakley, (ret'd)
The White House,
Coombe Hill Road
East Grinstead.

Daughter, granddaughter guilty of woman's murder

Scientology unit sues Washington Post
Date: Wednesday, 23 August 1995
Publisher: Washington Times
Main source: link (66 KiB)

The Religious Technology Center (RTC) yesterday sued The Washington Post and two of its reporters, charging they have engaged in "extensive intentional copyright infringement and trade secrets misappropriation, targeting confidential Scientology scriptures."

RTC, which holds the intellectual property rights of Scientology, filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema will hold a hearing Friday on a temporary restraining order and RTC's impoundment application to retrieve its documents from the newspaper.

The new lawsuit is an amendment of an RTC suit against Arlington resident Arnaldo Lerma, who allegedly posted Scientology documents on the Internet. The new suit charges that The Post and its reporters — Richard Leiby and Marc Fisher — aided Mr. Lerma and illegally quoted Scientology materials in a report.