Narcotic Farm

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From 1935 until 1975 just about every junkie busted for dope went to the Narcotic Farm. Equal parts federal prison treatment center farm and research laboratory the Farm was designed to rehabilitate addicts and help researchers discover a cure for drug addiction. Although it began as a bold and ambitious public works project and became famous as a rehabilitation center frequented by great jazz musicians among others the Farm was shut down forty years after it opened amid scandal over its drug-testing program which involved experiments where inmates were being used as human guinea pigs and rewarded with heroin and cocaine for their efforts. Published to coincide with a documentary to be aired on PBS The Narcotic Farm includes rare and unpublished photographs film stills newspaper and magazine clippings government documents as well as interviews writings and anecdotes from the prisoners doctors and guards that trace the Farm’s noble rise and tumultuous fall revealing the compelling story of what really happened inside the prison walls. The Narcotic Farm is a beautiful fascinating book that takes readers deep into a forgotten American institution. The pictures are remarkable and the story brings an important moment in history vividly to life. It’s a stunning work. Dave Isay founder of StoryCorps