Pints & Professors: Luke Walden presents The Narcotic Farm

Mitchell College presents Pints & Professors, a casual, engaging event where a member of Mitchell College's faculty hosts a 30 to 45-minute lecture on a relevant and interesting topic to be enjoyed over a pint. Think 'Ted Talk' in a relaxed yet thought-provoking atmosphere where attendees can explore new ideas, engage in meaningful conversations, and connect with both local scholars and fellow community members.

We're excited to present the first event of this series:

The Narcotic Farm: Ground Zero for America's First War on Drugs, presented by Professor Luke Walden. Luke describes his experience as reflections of an accidental drug historian, where he and his team dove into research of the Institutions 40-year history with the federal government.

Former inmates at America’s first prison for drug addicts tell a fascinating and previously untold story of jazz, human drug testing and secret CIA research.From 1935 until 1975, just about every American junkie busted for dope went to the United States Narcotic Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, an ambitious government center dedicated to finding a cure for addiction. Equal parts federal prison, treatment center, farm, and laboratory, the Narcotic Farm quickly became the gathering place for the country’s growing drug subculture including many jazz greats such as Chet Baker, Elvin Jones, and Sonny Rollins.

But the Narcotic Farm also became the world’s center for addiction research. For forty years elite scientists conducted groundbreaking experiments on prisoners, giving massive doses of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs to inmates who eagerly volunteered to get high in the name of science. Today the vivid recollections of former addicts who spent years inside the prison and astonishing, government-produced films bring to life a story of noble intentions and lingering questions. Was the research program ethical? Was it worth it? Who was helped? The inmates themselves have some surprising conclusions.

The documentary Luke produced was narrated and scored by former inmate Wayne Kramer of the infamous 1960s anti-establishment rock band The MC5.