Before the Fun Police drove them from the marketplace here in the United States, Quaaludes from Rorer (and later, Lemmon) earned the reputation as the King of Party Drugs.

Reducing inhibitions and increasing libido made them a favorite during the Free Love era.

Sharing a tablet or two made for plenty of wonderful memories until manufacturing in the US was banned in 1983.

South Africa, where the drug was marketed as Mandrax, still has a robust black market for methaqualone.

Far from the glitz and glamor of our disco era, the drug there is crushed and smoked by the underprivileged, some say as result of an Apartheid government program of enslavement via addiction.

Second generation documentarian Hamilton Moore does a brilliant job exposing the facts in the first episode of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia for the Viceland Network.

Visit the Viceland Blog here, or view on your computer or mobile device via your internet provider. Xfinity allowed us to watch on demand – you carrier may offer this option. You can purchase access or dvd’s as well.

We were struck both by the markedly different way the tabs were consumed and the Nazi-like plans of the government. 

We’re going back to our happy place now, but encourage you to comment below if you have seen this documentary.

Share your thoughts with the tribe.