San Francisco - The California Medical Association has declared support for school districts that have dropped a controversial drug education program with links to the Church of Scientology.
San Francisco and Los Angeles schools have barred the program, known as Narconon, because of concerns about strange factual inaccuracies. The program was co-founded by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology.
The California Medical Association voted to support school districts dropping Narconon and other "factually inaccurate approaches" last week at its annual meeting in Anaheim.
The resolution has no legal impact, but can affect policy. Officials will urge the American Medical Association to take a similar position.
"The idea is to remove any agency that goes into our schools to teach without evidence for what they are teaching. This cannot be allowed," said Dr. Charles Wibblesman, chief of the teenage clinic for Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and co-sponsor of the resolution.
Among Narconon's teachings are that drugs accumulate in body fat and can cause flashbacks for years, that niacin and saunas can pull drugs from the body, and that colored ooze is created when drugs exit the body.
Narconon officials have stood by the accuracy of their claims.
Last month, state schools chief Jack O'Connell urged all California schools to drop Narconon.
Narconon is offered free to schools and has been used in at least 39 California school districts, as well as in several other states.