Sheriff on Scientology parade float
Sheriff Lee Baca and Scientologist actress Sophia Milos promoting "The Way to Happiness" (a Scientology front group) during the Hollywood Christmas Parade in 2004.

Sheriff Baca receiving
award from Scientology front group ABLE
Sheriff Lee Baca accepting an award from Scientology front group ABLE International in 2004, presented by now disgraced-and-erased ABLE VP Bob Adams.

Why Is Sheriff Lee Baca Trying to Force Narconon & Scientology on the Residents of Leona Valley?

Last year, the Narconon drug education program was expelled from California public schools, following a review of the program's materials.  In June, 2004, a series of articles by Nanette Asimov was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, exposing Scientology's infiltration of the San Francisco Unified School District.

Narconon, a Scientology front group, was being allowed to present founder L. Ron Hubbard's theories of drug abuse and detox, the same theories which are physically applied in Narconon drug rehab facilities.

Following the first articles, State schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell called for a review board to evaluate the Narconon educational program.

O'Connell requested the independent evaluation in July after The Chronicle reported in June that Narconon introduced students to some beliefs and methods of Scientology without their knowledge.

Five medical doctors and nine school health education specialists evaluated Narconon for scientific accuracy and how well its teaching methods might help students avoid taking drugs.

Information provided to students by Narconon "does not reflect accurate, widely accepted medical and scientific evidence," the researchers said. "Some information is misleading because it is overstated or does not distinguish between drug use and abuse."

The stories reported that Narconon's instruction rests, in part, on church beliefs that drug residues remain indefinitely in body fat, causing people to experience repeated drug flashbacks and cravings. Some teachers also reported that Narconon instructors taught their students that drug residues can be sweated out in saunas and that colored ooze is produced when drugs exit the body.
The doctors who reviewed and denounced the theories were Peter Banys, director of substance abuse programs at the San Francisco VA Medical Center; Neal Benowitz, head of clinical pharmacology at UCSF; Timmen Cermak, medical director of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs in San Francisco and Marin County; David Smith of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic; and Igor Grant, director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego.

The articles can be read at http://Stop-Narconon.org/

Narconon uses charismatic lecturers to deliver its school presentations, and many teachers and students have praised the program. Instruction usually is financed by small businesses run by Scientologists.

In exchange for the free program, Narconon asks students and teachers to write letters of thanks to the businesses and uses the letters in its promotional materials. These letters are subsequently used to promote Narconon's educational program to other schools.


Sheriff Baca endorses Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard in the International Scientology News, issue 33, dated May 2006. Click image to see more.


Narconon Banned in Three States

Narconon's program was thoroughly debunked back in 2004. As a result, their public school outreach program has been banned from California public schools. Relying on the California review, Hawaii and Boston quickly followed suit, expelling Narconon from their public schools as well. It must be stressed that the theories behind the Narconon program were found to be inaccurate and misleading. In part, the review board stated,
"Inaccurate and misleading drug-related information is problematic because it can confuse students and be perceived as designed to arouse fear. It may also lead students to discredit the schools' drug prevention program and distrust educators.

Inaccuracies and misleading inferences were not limited to a single material, but were evident in NDAP elementary, middle and high school presentation outlines and delivery scripts and in the supplementary drug prevention materials available to schools that were provided for this review. (See Appendix C for annotated examples of inaccurate and misleading information.)"

Why Is Sheriff Baca Supporting a Narconon in Leona Valley?

With a preponderance of evidence suggesting that the theories behind the Narconon program are merely a kludge of fact thrown together with L. Ron Hubbard's confabulations, why hasn't Sheriff Baca taken the time to look at this program before throwing his support behind it?
In a letter to James Bell of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, Sheriff Baca endorses the Narconon program wholeheartedly;  saying,

"I am writing in support of an application for a Use Permit filed by Narconon for the purpose of modifying the existing use of a property on Bouquet Canyon Road, to allow Narconon to operate a drug rehabilitation facility.

Los Angeles County requires effective drug rehabilitation services, which the Narconon program provides and the Saugus rural area outside Santa Clarita is a perfect location for such work to be done. I understand that some residents of this area have expressed concerns about having a drug rehabilitation center in their area; however, I am very familiar with the Narconon program. It is a fee-for-service program requiring voluntary willingness to enroll and it has a detailed screening process...The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department looks forward to working with Narconon. I recommend that the Regional Planning Commission approve this application fora Use Permit by Narconon."

The  entire letter can be read here: http://stop-narconon.org/LeonaValley/

This is amazing! Not only does Sheriff Baca endorse Narconon, he is spouting promotional material straight out of a Narconon brochure!

What's wrong with supporting Narconon?

Aside from the fact that Narconon has been proven ineffective, inaccurate and unscientific, the problem is with Narconon, the organization. Much of their promotional material is sheer fabrication; from their claims to be separate from the Scientology organization, to their fanciful success statistics.  They often claim that "studies" have shown anywhere from a 70% to 80% success rate, far more than traditional rehabilitation programs. However, it's been proven that this statistic is a result of massaged data on the part of Narconon's promotional team.  The favored study referred to by Narconon is a Swedish study from 1981, in which 61 individuals participated. Only 14 people completed the program, which gives a 23% success rate. Thirteen of these people were contacted a year later.  Only 6% of the entire group remained drug free a year later.  The average success rate of traditional rehabilitation programs is around 15%. It is only by not counting individuals who failed to complete the program that Narconon arrives at its inflated 70%-80% statistic. See http://Narconon-Exposed.org/studies.htm for details.

What's the deal with Sheriff Baca and Scientology? Click Here



Movement to recall Sheriff Baca: see recallbaca.com