Safe in what sense? They prescribe it in some European countries as a sleep aid, so it's likely no more toxic than it's more famous cousin, but it's still a potent CNS depressent. And of course with the modern RC market, there's no guarantee you're actually getting etaqualone, let alone pure etaqualone.
As for the effects, me and a friend (well, mostly me, he gave up when it became obvious the drug sucked, I was more determined to keep trying) went through 10g of the stuff a few months back, and it's absolutely nothing like what I've heard methaqualone described as. We tried swallowing, snorting and smoking it in various doses and there's absolutely no euphoria or even relaxation, just a fuzzy, foggy feeling,a lurching physical drunkenness (took me 10 minutes to do up my shoe laces), hypnotic effect (I can see why they prescribe it for sleep, probably the one redeeming factor).
It really isn't recreational and I wouldn't take it again if it was offered for free. Hell, I'd probably have to be paid to take it. It felt closer to taking too much of something like phenergan or baclofen than anything resembling the alcohol/benzo/barbiturate/GHB GABAergic type drugs.
Don't bother.
