“Kids who are sworn in then swear in other kids as Drug-Free Marshals and are empowered to swear in adults as well,” said Story. “They set a good example to their peers by doing this. It is sometimes easier for kids to learn from one of their friends, rather than a teacher or adult.”

The Drug-Free Marshal program was started by the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles in 1993, with the first group of Marshals sworn in by the head of the local Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Office of Drug Demand Reduction.

Since then, the program has grown to cities and countries all over the world, with tens of thousands of kids participating in the campaign.

Locally in Pinellas County, the Drug Free Marshals have sworn in an estimated 3,000 new Drug Free Marshals.

For more information about the Drug-Free Marshals program, call (727) 445-4355.