Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington, D.C. St. Elizabeths Hospital

St. Elizabeths Hospital

Government testing at the asylum briefly explored using marijuana as a "truth serum" on Nazi prisoners of war.

Washington, D.C.

Added By
Elliot Carter
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The St. Elizabeths center building on August 2006.   Tomf688/CC-BY-SA 2.5
  Elvert Barnes/CC BY-SA 2.0
Aerial view of St. Elizabeths Hospital   Carol M. Highsmith for the Library of Congress/Public Domain
  Elvert Barnes/CC BY-SA 2.0
  lorie shaull / Atlas Obscura User
  lorie shaull / Atlas Obscura User
  lorie shaull / Atlas Obscura User
Dorthea Dix Memorial   lorie shaull / Atlas Obscura User
  Elvert Barnes/CC BY-SA 2.0
  lorie shaull / Atlas Obscura User
  Elvert Barnes/CC BY-SA 2.0
The abandoned main administration building.   Tomf688/CC-BY-SA 2.5
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The “Government Hospital for the Insane” opened in 1855 on a remote hilltop to the southeast of Washington, D.C. as one of America's first public hospitals specializing in psychiatry. Later popularly known by the less prickly moniker St. Elizabeths, the asylum's headiest chapter might be a midcentury stint of clandestine government experiments with drugs, “truth serums,” and mind control.

In 1942 the proto-CIA Office of Strategic Services established a committee partnership with St. Elizabeths to aid in prisoner of war interrogations. Little was known about the pharmacology of mind-altering drugs, but the premise was that intoxicated Nazis would be more likely to reveal sensitive information to interrogators to help win World War II.

The St. Elizabeths truth serum experiments were overseen by longtime director and superintendent Dr. Winfred Overholser, who quickly dismissed mescaline and scopolamine and instead honed in on the promising effects of marijuana.

According to the now declassified 1943 OSS “Report on T.D. [Truth Drugs], “Three varieties of cannabis were studied: Cannabinol from Indian Charis, tetrahydrocannabinol acetate derived from the above, and synthetic cannabinol [sic]. Of these, the acetate derivative was found to be preferable.“

It’s not clear if the cannabis extract tests were conducted on unwitting hospital patients, or consenting government employees, though either is plausible.

Through trial and error the OSS developed a method of injecting trace amounts of THC acetate into tobacco cigarettes with hypodermic needles, the end result of which was “perfectly normal in appearance and in taste.” These spiked cigarettes were slowly fed out to test subjects over the course of hour-long sessions until the desired effect was achieved.

The 1943 OSS report notes that these tests found that “thoughts flow with considerable freedom, and in which conversation becomes animated and accelerated. The subject may experience lapses, such as forgetting what he was about to say. Frequently, he becomes greatly amused. He may tell funny stories or related personal anecdotes with some abandn [sic] and indiscretion.”

The St. Elizabeths truth serum experiments ended harmlessly enough in 1943, with the government concluding that marijuana “is probably not adaptable for mass interrogation.” But the program foreshadowed some deeply troubling CIA experiments with drugs over the next decade. As World War II gave way to the Cold War, the government’s experiments evolved from truth serums to mind control, and gave up marijuana for the far more risky Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) MK ULTRA trials.

Wartime drug experiments notwithstanding, St. Elizabeths hospital was a pioneer in the humane treatment of mental illness, though also saw its share of now discredited electroshock therapy and forced lobotomization in its long history. Today, the active hospital's footprint has shrunk from its 1950s peak, and much of the campus sits empty or in various stages of redevelopment. In 2018, St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena, home to the WNBA team the Washington Mystics, opened on the campus.

 

Related Tags

Insane Asylums Hospitals Government History Drugs Cold War World War Ii Abandoned Insane Asylums Military History Military

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

Edited By

philiphjones, lorie shaull

  • philiphjones
  • lorie shaull

Published

October 18, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://archive.org/details/reporttopresiden01unit
  • http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap03/WWII/TruthSerum-P1.htm
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=NAVCCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=St+Elizabeths+marijuana+truth+serum&source=bl&ots=JdNTGVzIsz&sig=PQM2wcpAbHfoWauDeKvriRzSWCs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi146367vLWAhVK6SYKHTl1BwcQ6AEIUDAH#v=onepage&q=St%20Elizabeths%20marijuana%20truth%20serum&f=false
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=MYaZBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT139&lpg=PT139&dq=St+Elizabeths+marijuana+truth+serum&source=bl&ots=6m5OXfiXdS&sig=50Tel3Fth3cASoCLrlOmBvTlh7M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi146367vLWAhVK6SYKHTl1BwcQ6AEIUzAI#v=onepage&q=St%20Elizabeths%20marijuana%20truth%20serum&f=false
  • http://dcpreservation.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0-COMPLETE-St.-Elizabeths-Hospital-A-History.pdf
  • https://www.nbm.org/exhibition/architecture-asylum-st-elizabeths-1852-2017/
St. Elizabeths Hospital
1100 Alabama Avenue SE
Washington, District of Columbia
United States
38.844137, -76.991656
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Defense Intelligence Agency Museum

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Frederick Douglass's House, Cedar Hill

Washington, D.C.

miles away

The Big Chair

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

United States

Places 285
Stories 50

Nearby Places

Defense Intelligence Agency Museum

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Frederick Douglass's House, Cedar Hill

Washington, D.C.

miles away

The Big Chair

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

United States

Places 285
Stories 50

Related Places

  • Aerial view of the SCBI

    Front Royal, Virginia

    Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

    This sprawling farm was once a Cold War-era hideaway for the nation's top diplomats.

  • Warrenton, Virginia

    Cold War Museum

    This museum sits on the site of a decommissioned military communications base.

  • Schorfheide, Germany

    Finowfurt Aviation Museum

    This former Soviet military base has over 10 original aircraft and an enormous amount of memorabilia on display.

  • Concrete debris found in the woods of Popes Head Park.

    Fairfax, Virginia

    Fairfax Nike Missile Site

    A lone historical marker off the highway and scattered debris are all that remain of this Cold War-era missile site.

  • North entrance of Seattle Center Armory.

    Seattle, Washington

    Seattle Center Armory

    A community gathering place that once housed half-ton tanks and the World's Fair.

  • Tilbury Fort drawbridges.

    Tilbury, England

    Tilbury Fort

    This star-shaped artillery fort protected the mouth of the Thames from the 16th century to the Second World War.

  • Recovery room at Ben Lomond Historic Site.

    Manassas, Virginia

    Ben Lomond Historic Site

    Hear, smell, see, taste, and touch history at this immersive Civil War hospital.

  • The members banking.

    Weybridge, England

    Brooklands Racetrack Remains

    The world's first purpose-built motor racetrack was destroyed by the outbreak of two world wars.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.