The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America's First Prison for Drug Addicts

by Nancy D. Campbell, James P. Olsen, Luke Waldenand

The United States Narcotic Farm opened in 1935 in the rolling hills of Kentucky horse country. Portrayed in the press as everything from a “New Deal for the drug addict” to a “million-dollar flophouse for junkies,” the sprawling art deco facility was equal parts federal prison, treatment center, working farm, and research laboratory. Its mission was to rehabilitate addicts, who were increasingly criminalized and incarcerated as a result of strict new drug laws, and to discover a cure for opiate addiction.

This richly illustrated book offers an important history of this progressive yet ultimately doomed experiment. “Narco,” as the locals called it, pioneered new treatments such as prescribing methadone to manage heroin withdrawal and developed drugs that blocked the action of opiates. The coed institution admitted federal prisoners as well as volunteers who checked themselves in for treatment, and through the years it hosted several legendary jazz musicians, including Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins, as well as actor Peter Lorre and writer William S. Burroughs. The facility ultimately closed in 1975 under a cloud as Congress learned that Narco researchers had recruited patients as test subjects for CIA-funded LSD experiments from 1953 to 1962, part of the notorious project MK-Ultra.

Featuring a new foreword by Sam Quinones, The Narcotic Farm offers a vital perspective on US drug policy, addiction, and incarceration as the nation struggles with a new opioid epidemic.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Addiction, Drugs, Medicine, Photography, Music

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Narcotic Farm is a companion book to a PBS documentary of the same name. The film itself is available on Vimeo -- I watched it yesterday and just sat here sort of spellbound the entire time. I've posted more about this book on the nonfiction page of my online reading journal if anyone is interested.

I first heard of this book while reading Sam Quinones' Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic - up to then I had absolutely no clue that this place even existed. The United States Narcotic Farm opened in 1935, just outside of Lexington, Kentucky; it was, as the book notes,

"an anomaly, an institution where male and female convicts arrested for drugs did time along with volunteers who checked themselves in for treatment."

In the 1920s, increasingly-strict drug laws and "aggressive enforcement" led to addicts being sent to prison "in droves," where they proved troublesome -- bringing drugs inside and getting non-addict prisoners hooked. The authors note that by the late 1920s, about "a third of all federal prisoners were doing time on drug charges." Social progressives of the time also took issue with the arrest of addicts, believing it to be "unjust" - so in 1929 two "government bureaucrats" lobbied for a measure that would create prisons just for convicted addicts, and by 1932, the construction of first of these institutions (the other in Ft. Worth) was underway. Its administration fell under both the US Public Health Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons - and on the day it opened the first director, Dr. Lawrence Kolb stated that addicts would not be sent to prison for what was basically "a weakness," but they would be able to receive

"the best medical treatment that science can afford in an atmosphere designed to rehabilitate them spiritually, mentally, and physically."

The book and the documentary together detail the story of Narco (as it was known by the locals) from its beginning in 1935 through its final days forty years later. Some interesting highlights of its history include a few notables who passed through its doors -- both William S. Burroughs senior and junior, as well as a host of jazz musicians including Chet Baker, Lee Morgan, and Sonny Rollins. Both Burroughs, father and son, wrote books about their time at Lexington: Senior in his Junkie, where there's an entire section about him signing himself in," and Junior with his Kentucky Ham (which I'm planning to read soon) detailing his time as a patient there.

Good book -- eye opening to say the least, especially when some very disturbing facts about the research going on there are revealed.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another win from FirstReads. The pictures are stark and beautiful. It's interesting to see the place that started the idea that drug addiction is a disease and its history. There is definitely much more to know about this place than what is in this pictorial history. Though what I did learn was fascinating.

[peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief history of the treatment of addiction piqued my interest when I saw it on display in a photography bookstore. I had never heard of the Narcotic Farm and was surprised that such a place existed in the 1930's. The early treatment modalities, philosophies, and research in the field of addiction described in this book are remarkable. I definitely plan to read some of the autobiographical accounts written by former patients treated in this institution.

In addition to the facinating story of The Narcotic Farm,Nancy Campbell provides a vivid pictoral display of life within America's first "prison" for drug addicts.

[Ville Verkkapuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this from on of my favourite bookstores in the world, Myopic in Wicker Park, Chicago. It was such a beautiful moment, having referenced and studied this social experiment for my second novel. And then this, perfectly packaged and wrapped with insanely good and atmospheric pictures.
Felt like a film.
Why do you take drugs? was the common question asked by the person entering the Narco Farm. "To avoid the monotonity of life", replied Robert Barnes.
Something to think about.

[Thorn MotherIssues · Rating 4 out of 5]

There must be a movie being made about this place, but getting to see these photos and how drug addicts were presented in newspapers from the 1930s-1960s was just fascinating. I was particularly interested in the medical experimentation performed on the patients/prisoners at a time before that was considered unethical. I wish there had been more testimonials from people involved, but it's going to spur me to do more research.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! I wish each chapter had been more in-depth, but overall an excellent primer on The United States Drug Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and the people who lived and worked there.

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors take the brave position that medical experiments on unwitting prisoners are fine if we can learn something from them.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and quick read with lots of telling images. In fact, it's more like a coffee table book.

I picked this up after having read "Dreamland" and "The Least of Us" by Sam Quinones--Quinones uses it as a reference in his works, so it made perfect sense that he had been tapped to write the forward to the newer edition of "The Narcotic Farm". But it's clear why he values this bit of history; I was surprised to learn about The Farm--especially about how well-funded it had been and how well-known it was while it was in operation throughout most of the 20th century. The book also makes a point to shed light on both the good and the bad things that came out of the institution's operations.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading this book, I learned about the US Narcotic Farm, built 6 miles from Lexington, Kentucky. From 1935-75, the world-class institution was a cross between prison (2/3 were prisoners) and hospital (1/3 were volunteers). On 1000 acres of farmland, participants grew their own food from kale to potatoes, and their own slaughtered cows and pigs, earning marks for excellent food. When food service shifted to institutional fare in the 1970s, prisoners protested the bad food. Begun in an era when Bayer sold heroin as a sedative for coughs (send for a sample!) ~ the staff aimed to offer competent and humane treatment. In the end, with recidivism over 90%, the closure pointed the way toward less centralized care. Participants would report feelings, consistent with withdrawal symptoms, even as they approached their hometown. This finding indicated the need for cognitive therapy for the physical illness. While research among prisoners was accepted at the time, the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment and the CIA-sponsored MK-ULTRA research on LSD led to more stringent review and oversight for research involving vulnerable populations.

Turns out, lots of great jazz musicians spent time in Lex. An orchestra from the Farm played for the nation on Johnny Carson's *The Tonight Show* in 1964. however, the tapes were accidentally erased, so no record is available.

Great photos.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America's First Prison for Drug Addicts by Nancy D. Campbell, Luke Walden, and J.P. Olsen (Harry N. Abrams Inc. 2005) (365.66+/-). This is an interesting book of photos of a joint project began in 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky by the Public Health Service and the Bureau of Prisons: The U.S. Narcotic Farm. It was a combination prison for drug addicts and a hospital for those who voluntarily sought treatment for his or her addiction. “'Narco,' as it was known locally, housed a co-ed cast of strange bedfellows: heroin-addicted jazz musicians, opiate-abusing MDs and nurses, street hustlers and prostitutes from New York, and Dilaudid-addicted drugstore cowboys from the rural South were all in the mix. Described in the press as everything from a 'New Deal for the Drug Addict' to a 'million-dollar flophouse for junkies,' the Narcotic Farm became a rite of passage for countless young addicts as well as the central gathering place for America's growing drug subculture.” (p.12). My rating: 7/10, finished 12/15/14.

[Elyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work in the substance abuse treatment field and this book is floating around my office. I decided to check it out and it's an interesting book. To tell the story of the Narcotic Farm, one of the earliest drug treatment facilities, the author combines text with photos, original documents, and newspaper clippings. I learned about how perceptions about drug addicts changed over time, early treatment approaches, and research studies that are the basis of some current substance abuse theories and treatment methods, including my agency's therapeutic community model.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. More of a picture book. I'll probably search for a documentary on it though, as any footage would undoubtedly be interesting.

[Michael S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history about a great attempt at humane treatment of those afflicted with the terrible disease of addiction.

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pictorial history of the United States Narcotic Farm, which operated in Lexington, Kentucky from the 1930s to the 1970s.

[Andrew Mattocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book outlining the history of an interesting institution. Great photographs.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating

Really interesting look into the legacy of the narcotic farms. Both the unethical research methods and the very real contributions to substance use disorder treatment