Peace, Love, Unity, Respect: these are the words every avid raver uses. As a huge fan of Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, I am familiar with the current rave culture. I was introduced to my first rave during my second year of college. I went to the Swedish House Mafia’s One Last Tour in Los Angeles; the music was amazing, the vibes were filled with love, and the light shows were on point. I can understand how ravers never want to quit raving; the vibes are so friendly and loving at raves. Raves are happy places, but they can also be very dangerous. I know every raver does not take the common rave drug, MDMA or MDA, but a good majority does. There are common misconceptions about Ecstasy, or the “pure form” molly. Some people say the drug does not really affect the user. Others say one dosage (usually consisting of 70-100 grams) creates a quarter sized hole in the brain. After taking Psychology 181 (Psychology of Drugs and Behavior) with Professor Stephan G. Anagnostaras, I learned about the truth and dangers of the designer drug, ecstasy.
“If there are two drugs I don’t want anybody to take, it is PCP and Ecstasy,” said Professor Anagnostaras to the large class in Price Center Theatre. This amphetamine derivative is chemically engineered in labs by “chemists” all over the world. The drug is an appetite suppressant, a mild hallucinogen, a stimulant, and an anti-depressant. From this description, you can imagine why people call Ecstasy the “love drug”. It creates feelings of unity and euphoria, while allowing your senses to be heightened. MDMA was even used as a couples therapy drug before 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act. Although the drug has “great effects”, the side effects are even greater.
1. Molly is NOT the Pure and safer version of E.
There is no way to be sure of what is in your pill. Yes, there are saline solutions in which you could check whether your pill is “dirty” or “clean”, but these methods are not reliable. Professor Anagnostaras stated that mollys and ecstasy are essentially the same thing; it is a marketing tactic that chemists use to increase profits. Also, a lot of the ingredients that go into creating pills are caffeine, ephedrine, ketamine, aspirin, methamphetamine, and lethal drugs like atropine are the reasons why you feel a difference in different forms of E. The euphoria you feel when taking these drugs can largely depend on the other drugs the pill is mixed with. If you continue taking pills, make sure you check pill reports and see what goes into your pill.
2. The effects of taking E.
Ecstasy is a newer drug, so it does not have a great history of studied information. However, the studies that have been done, reveal jaw-dropping results. The picture below reveals a picture of brain synapses of a rat before taking MDMA, and a picture after taking one dosage (70 mg) of MDMA. The little lines you see (and don’t see) are axons in brain cells. The rat’s brain cells are very much alive; however, the synapses and axons are dead. This means that the pathways of information transfer is gone, so you can not use these brain cells even if you wanted to. Also, these synapses NEVER GROW BACK. You can lose up to 70% of axons after one pill. No wonder the term “E-Tards” came up; losing neuronal connections can only cause a loss of intelligence.
What you take is your decision; I’m not here to judge you. However, I encourage everyone to research the drugs they take and take an active role in their health. You only live once; live your life wisely and to the fullest. Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat safely collegiettes!