This Infamous Party Drug Is Quietly Making a Comeback, Thanks to ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ - VICE

Quaaludes are back. The prescription drug that once made millions of Americans euphoric enough to turn a sleeping pill into a national phenomenon that became such a problem that it was eventually banned in 1984 is somehow slithering its way out of the shadows.  

VICE reported on the drug’s quiet resurgence in July, and now The Guardian has documented its slow return to underground drug circles.

For most people, Quaaludes are a pop cultural artifact from a time before they were born, when 70s rock bands touring the world needed to take the edge off, so they used a tranquilizer. For others, the only interaction they ever had with the drug was via Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, when he takes Quaaludes as he attempts to drive a Lamborghini after the drug has turned his muscles into Jell-O.

The Infamous Party Drug Quaaludes Is Quietly Making a Return According to both the Vice and Guardian reports, The Wolf of Wall Street may have been the sparking influence for the new Quaaludes revival, as people from all over the world watched DiCaprio play Jordan Belfort as he was barely able to function as a human being and thought that yes, that’s exactly the state they want to exist in.

Researchers and drug users interviewed by The Guardian say interest grew after the film, eventually helping inspire underground production and renewed demand. The thing is, Methaqualone, the drug behind the brand name Quaalude, had effectively disappeared from the American market after its ban, which is a little unusual in the drug world.

Pharmaceutical companies straight up stopped making it, which solved the problem for a while. Then, around 2018, illicit supplies started popping up online, and demand reportedly grew post-pandemic. The comeback isn’t yet so big that Quaaludes are on every street corner now, as the drug market is still relatively niche, but it has gained a weird cachet among drug users who were not alive when the pills were legally sold and want to see what all the fuss was about.

You know, like 20-year-olds today getting into 35mm point-and-shoot film cameras that were already all but extinct by the time they were born? Nostalgia for a drug they never got to take.

Of course, that nostalgia comes with a potentially heavy price, since Quaaludes were banned for a reason. They are highly addictive, and tolerance develops quickly, leading to potentially fatal overdoses, especially when combined with alcohol and other depressants.