Quaaludes
Methaqualone
is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant.
Its use peaked in the 1960s and 1970s as a hypnotic, for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant. It has also been used illegally as a recreational drug, commonly known as Quaaludes (pronounced /ˈkweɪluːdz/ KWAY-loodz) or Sopors (particularly in the 1970s in North America) depending on the manufacturer.
Since at least 2001, it has been widely used in South Africa, where it is commonly referred to as “smarties” or “geluk-tablette” (meaning happy tablets). Clandestinely produced methaqualone is still seized by government agencies and police forces around the world.
Methaqualone was first synthesized in India in 1951 by Indra Kishore Kacker and Syed Hussain Zaheer, and was soon introduced to Japanese and European consumers as a safe barbiturate substitute.[citation needed] By 1965, it was the most commonly prescribed sedative in Britain, where it has been sold legally under the names Malsed, Malsedin, and Renoval.
In 1965, a Methaqualone/antihistamine combination was sold as the sedative drug Mandrax, by Roussel Laboratories (now part of Sanofi-Aventis). At about the same time, it was becoming a popular recreational drug (called “mandies” or “mandrake” or “mandrix”). In 1972, it was the sixth-bestselling sedative in the USA, where it was legal under the brand name Quaalude; at that time “luding out” was a popular college pastime.[