Victory Over Addiction

Mandrax
FACTS:
STREET NAMES:
Buttons, White Pipe
APPEARANCE:
Originally in white tablet form that is crushed.
PARAPHERNALIA:
Broken bottles and bottle necks, Home
made filters, containers for spitting and Lotto
papers.
SMELL:
Smoky sweetish smell.
METHOD OF USE:
Usually crushed and smoked with dagga.
Also swallowed or injected.
EFFECTS:
Yellow stained hands, bloodshot eyes, rotten
teeth, unnatural sleeping patterns. Increased
saliva secretion. Loss of appetite. Acne and
boils on the skin.
LONG TERM EFFECTS:
Serious emotional problems, depression,
drastic weight loss, insomnia, aggression,
toxic psychosis.
South Africa is the largest abuser of
Mandrax in the world.
Statistics show that Mandrax smoked
with Dagga is still the drug of
preference in the largest parts of
Cape region. Mandrax is mainly sold in
the form of a tablet and is highly
addictive. It is usually crushed and
smoked, but can be injected and
swallowed as well. Mandrax is a synthetic
drug that is compiled by means of the
mixing of chemicals in a chemical
process and a tablet is then produced.
The active ingredient in Mandrax is
Methaqualone. This chemical provides a
similar effect to barbiturates which is a
general central nervous system
depressant. This makes the user feel
calm, relaxed and happy. This feeling
can last for up to a couple of hours after
use.
In the sixties and early seventies these
tablets were prescribed as sleeping
tablets. Other medicinal uses included
illnesses like high blood pressure and
anxiety attacks. Mandrax was originally
known as a safe and non-dependent
drug. It was the drug that people
reckoned was going to be the miracle
cure of the world at its time.
It was however found that Mandrax had
various side effects, especially if it was
mixed with Dagga and alcohol, which
was life threatening because it caused
psychological and physical
dependency. This caused a drastic
increase in burglaries, especially at
pharmacies, where it was found that
Mandrax specifically was stolen. Mandrax
was banned in most parts of the world
because of the misuse, and is illegally
sold in South Africa.
The banning of Mandrax caused crime
syndicates to use this opportunity to
continue producing it by means of
clandestine laboratories. The market was
already established and the need for the
drug made it a profitable business.
Experience has shown Mandrax is
smoked to get a greater "rush". This is
because of the toleration effect of the
body of a human who started
experimenting with small amounts of
Dagga but later have to add Mandrax to
achieve the same effect.
Mandrax is highly addictive. People
become physically dependent on it
and have severe withdrawal symptoms
in rehabilitation. Some withdrawal
symptoms include sleeping disorders,
nervous, anxious and irritable feelings,
headaches, restlessness and eating
disorders.
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