According to this family, promises of a complete rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and a 96% success rate sold them on Narconon Vista Bay for their loved one. Allegedly, the client was transferred to Placerville, suspended from the program due to a minor disciplinary infraction and dropped off at a homeless shelter where he relapsed within 1 day. A request for a refund allegedly went unanswered by Narconon they say.
Medical Distress at Narconon Vista Bay, Watsonville, CA
This person's son who had "borderline stage II hypertension" was only able to stay at Narconon for 9 days before he began experiencing a feeling of wooziness, irregular heartbeat, excessive prespiration, and extreme anxiety. He asked to see a doctor but his requests were denied. The son left Narconon, and the parent requested a pro-rated refund of the $29,000 he had paid. Initially, the refund was refused, but after persisting and signing a gag agreement (which is common for anyone receiving a refund from Narconon), the money was refunded.
Keil v. Narconon Southern California, Narconon, Narconon Newport Beach, Does 1-50
Narconon had agreed not to give any money to Plaintiff's son because the Plaintiff feared that the son would leave the facility and return to the streets and a life of drug use, and she would lose the $25,000 she spent on the program. Narconon broke the contract and the son left the program and bought a bus ticket to Colorado.
Narconon Newport Beach – $25,000 for a Scam
At first, Narconon seemed like a great choice for this person's 19 year old coke-addicted brother, but soon was having second thoughts when the family could not get timely responses as to the brother's condition. He said "In a nutshell I am noticing that this is a scam and I am part of it."
Hit by Staff Member’s Car at Narconon Vista Bay
Narconon's treatment left this man feeling woozy. As a result, he fell, hitting his head and requiring stitches, according to his wife. In addition, he claimed to have been hit by a staff member's car in the Narconon parking lot. He had contacted a lawyer and planned to sue.
Narconon Credibility Investigation
In 2006, Narconon wanted to open a facility on Bouquet Canyon Road in Leona Valley, California. They applied for a Conditional Use Permit for the property and a hearing was held before Los Angeles County Regional Planning, using their Warner Springs facility, also known as Sunshine Summit Lodge, as a point of comparison. Residents were opposed to the facility, and Narconon representatives attended a Leona Valley Town Council Meeting to answer questions from the community. An investigation into statements made by Narconon representatives in regard to this planned facility was made, and a number of the statements conflicted with official documents from the State of California. The proposed Leona Valley Narconon was defeated, based on the findings of the investigation.
Martin v. Narconon Southern California dba Narconon San Diego, dba Narconon Warner Springs, Does 1-10
Plaintiff believed she was contacting Narcotics Anonymous because of the similarity of the name. She was not informed that it was not NA nor that Narconon was associated with Scientology. Once in the program, her son realized that it was not Narcotics Anonymous, but the Scientology-affiliated Narconon.
2010-05-13 Complaint Letter to Discover Financial Services
This complaint letter about Narconon Sunshine Summit Lodge and Narconon Newport Beach to Discover Financial Services goes into great detail about the experiences of a former client of Narconon. The author describes how she was deceived by a "fake referral site" and was never told that the referral was to Narconon until she received an emailed credit card statement.
Complaint to Michael D. Kobrin of Narconon Southern California, March 23, 2005
Complainant alleges that initial information received was misleading and led client to believe counseling received at Narconon would be compliant with DMV requirements and address legal issues.
Evaluation of the Narconon Drug Abuse Prevention Program, prepared for the California Department of Education
Narconon offered an anti-drug program to public schools in California. A series of articles in the San Francisco Chronicle beginning on June 9, 2004, resulted in California school officials investigating Narconon's claims. The study found that Narconon's program did not reflect medically and scientifically based practices and that it offered students misleading information about drug use and abuse. As a result of the investigation, on February 23, 2005, the state's superintendent of public instruction, Jack O'Connell, officially recommended that all schools in the state reject the Narconon program.