By 1970, Mr. Benitez had been released from prison and traveled to Los Angeles to assist in opening the national office of Narconon. This became known as Narconon US, and commenced a program of drug rehabilitation that was soon to spread throughout the United States.
Initial Narconon programs in institutions such as Californias Rehabilitation Center in Norco, the California Mens Colony in San Luis Obispo and the Youth Training School in Ontario, California, were well received and highly successful.
An official evaluation of the ten-month program at the Youth Training School showed that disciplinary offenses among the control group increased 10 percent during the second five-month period, while those of the Narconon group decreased by 81 percent. The grade average of the control group increased from C to C+, while that of the Narconon group increased from C to B.
Narconon successes continued to mount. In May 1972, a program was started at the Ventura School for Boys and Girls in Ventura, California. After considerable expansion it later received funding from the California Youth Authority.
That same year, Narconon opened its first residential programs, making it possible to take an addict through the Narconon withdrawal program and other Narconon courses. This expansion was an important step for Narconon as it brought all stages of rehabilitation into the safety of a residential environment.
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