Narconon: Encyclopedia II - Narconon - Controversies

Narconon - Controversies

Since its establishment, Narconon has faced considerable controversy. The main issues of controversy have been the safety and effectiveness of its rehabilitation methods, and the organization's links to the Church of Scientology. The medical profession has been sharply critical of Narconon's methods, which rely on theories of drug metabolism that are not widely supported. Particular criticism has been directed at the therapy's use of vitamins and sauna sessions in quantities several times greater than medically recommended. Although Narconon claims a success rate of over 70%, no verifiable evidence for this appears to have been published by the organization, and independent researchers have found considerably lower rates — as low as 6.6% in the case of a Swedish research study. [1]

Narconon downplays its connection to Scientology, insisting that it is entirely "non-religious" in nature, and Scientology is never mentioned in its publications. There is little hard evidence that Narconon sets out to recruit for Scientology — Narconon denies that it acts as a recruiting agent for the Church of Scientology. [2] However, Narconon's courses are firmly rooted in Scientology religious doctrines, from which they are adapted, and Narconon is directly subordinate to a Church of Scientology organization, the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Controversies", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki