The Safer Trap: Quaaludes and the Drug That Fooled Everyone

The Wolf of Wall Street made Quaaludes infamous, but the real story is stranger and more cautionary. What started as a failed antimalarial was marketed as a safer alternative to barbiturates—and then became a cultural phenomenon that spiraled into disaster. This episode unpacks the pharmacology, the cultural explosion, and the recurring pattern of "safer" drugs that end up causing even more harm. From disco biscuits to the modern tianeptine crisis, we explore how one narrow safety metric can blind everyone to everything else.