Narconon

Narconon International is an organisation which promotes Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's theories of substance abuse treatment and addiction. Its parent organisation is ABLE, which is connected to the Church of Scientology. Headquartered in Hollywood, Narconon operates several dozen residential centers worldwide, chiefly in the United States and Western Europe.

The organization was formed in 1966 by Scientologist William Benitez, a former inmate of Arizona State Prison. Benitez contacted L. Ron Hubbard after reading his book, Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought and with Hubbard's help Narconon was incorporated in 1970.

While both the Church of Scientology and Narconon state that Narconon is a secular program, that it is independent of Scientology, and that it provides legitimate drug education and rehabilitation, Narconon has been described by many government reports and former patients as a Church of Scientology front group.

The program has garnered considerable controversy as a result of its origins in Scientology and its methods. Its drug rehabilitation treatment has been described as "medically unsafe", "quackery" and "medical fraud", while academic and medical experts have dismissed its educational program as containing "factual errors in basic concepts such as physical and mental effects, addiction and even spelling".