quarry cure, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

quarry cure n.

also rockpile cure

[Maurer, ‘Lang. of the Underworld Narcotic Addict’, Pt 2 (1938), notes ‘Restricted to the Chicago Bridewell and to addicts who have done time there’]

(US drugs) a ‘cure’ for drug addiction that involves being imprisoned and working in the rock quarry.

1938		D. Maurer ‘Lang. of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 2 in Lang. Und. (1981) 108/1: quarry-cure. One form of cold turkey treatment in which the addicts are worked in the stone-quarry while they are kicking the habit.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1959		J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore 69: Go in the quarry [...] Go on the rock-pile – To take a drug cure consisting of abrupt, forced abstinence combined with hard physical work. [Ibid.] 160: Rock-pile cure – The treatment of severe narcotic addiction by a regimen of hard work and total abstinence.