The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the
Church of Scientology, which stated in a poster that it had rescued 250,000
people from drug addiction.
The council said that the worldwide religious movement had not proved its
claim that as many as a quarter of a million addicts had stopped using
drugs as a direct result of Scientology's intervention.
The Church of England's Birmingham diocese and several members of the
public had objected to the poster, which was produced by the Scientologists
to publicise a tour of parts of the country.
The poster read: "Scientology: applied religious philosophy. 250,000 people
salvaged from drugs." There was also a free telephone number and a website
address.
The council said it accepted that many people had stopped taking drugs with
the help of Scientology, but the movement had not proved that they had all
been addicts.
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