Molly isn’t actually a person.Well, not in this case. No, it’s actually a club drug but a drug nonetheless. It is the powder form of MDMA that is found in Ecstasy however, it is a purer form as Ecstasy is laced with other ingredients. The drug can produce effects like sleep deprivation, muscle cramps, confusion and paranoia. Although these effects are hazardous, they aren’t the main issue. The main issue is that in the past few weeks many college students have died because of the dangers this drug presents.
A Zedd concert that took place on August 28 in the House of Blues in Boston had three overdoses on Molly one of which ended in a death. Brittany Flannigan was 19 and a student at Plymouth State University. Another three men became ill after taking the drug at a concert held that following Saturday in Beantown. But that wasn’t all; more harm has come from taking Molly. On August 31, a University of New Hampshire student as well as a 23 year old Syracuse University graduate both died from an overdose on the drug following the Electric Zoo music festival in New York.
So why has the drug become so popular? Deborah Guyton, a USFSP student suggests it might be because of popular music, “kids will do and say anything they hear in music nowadays.” In the last year several popular artists have released songs about Molly including Wiz Khalifa, Tyga and Rick Ross. One the most famous songs would be All Gold Everything by Trinidad James.
In the song, James uses the line “popped a molly, I’m sweating woo!” Molly prompts a release of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine which causes a feeling of euphoria, and makes the users energetic. This may explain why the aforementioned deaths music festivals. The attendees want to have fun and party for as long as possible. Molly allows them to do that because it enables them to stay up longer.
The users of the drug are thinking of the pleasurable effects and not the consequences. “A good friend of mine was an avid user of Molly and ended up in the hospital,” said Stephonia Llewellyn, a 20 year old psychology major. Her friend was severely dehydrated.
It is important that not only students, but everyone be aware of what harm cam come from this drug.