Before the date rape drugs GHP and Rohypnol were heard of, there was a drug known as Quaaludes. In legal depositions that he gave years ago, comedian Bill Cosby states that he gave women Quaaludes before he had sexual activity with them.
Quaalude was a brand name for a drug called methaqualone, which was marketed for many years in the United States. It was a prescription drug sold as a sleeping pill and muscle relaxant, with the claims that it was a safer alternative to other sleeping and was less addictive than barbiturates.
Curiously, although most drugs are referred to in the singular-like Valium or aspirin-Quaalude was almost always referred to in the plural.
Despite the safety claims, it was soon apparent that Quaaludes were addictive and they became popular as a recreational drug. In the 1970s "Ludes" were as popular drug of abuse as heroin and cocaine. As the abuse problems with the drug increased, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration tightened restrictions on it as a controlled substance. Quaalude was marketed in the United States from the mid-1960s to 1982, when it was withdrawn from the market. It is still illegally manufactured in some parts of the world, but other drugs have taken its place as both a legal sedative and a drug of abuse.
People took Quaaludes to get a feeling of relaxed euphoria and because they were said to cause a state of sexual arousal. The drug lowered inhibitions, especially when taken with alcohol, and could cause unconsciousness, which led to it being used as a date rape drug before the term "date rape" was even coined. However, most illicit use was by willing participants. Cosby stated in the legal deposition that he gave Quaaludes to women who knew what he was giving them.
Overdoses of Quaaludes could cause coma, convulsions, and in some cases, death.