Party Drug “Molly” is Falsely Advertised as a Safe Stimulant

Trinidad James should have told people that popping a molly can make them do more than just sweat. That is, if they’re popping real molly.

Molly, the pure form of MDMA, has been rising in popularity with the electronic dance movement and rave scenes as a popular, fun drug that makes users feel euphoric and carefree. What most people know about molly is that it is frequently recommended and referred to by rap artists and celebrities and has a reputation as a safe drug compared to its notoriously more dangerous sister drug ecstasy. However, this belief could be their biggest mistake.

Molly users are given the false impression that the non-addictive “fun” drug is harmless compared to other drugs like cocaine or heroin. Because molly is marketed to be a pure form of MDMA, the main ingredient combined with other random drugs to create ecstasy, it has been viewed an easy way for users to maintain party-on attitudes. Celebrity endorsements from Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus and Madonna have glamorized the drug but have let a crucial truth slide: The drug is no safer than its predecessor, ecstasy, the popular drug of the ‘80s that flew under the social radar due to dealers’ tendencies to mix it with other cheaper substances. And the problem with molly is similar, because some street vendors of “molly” are not selling the idealized drug at all.

According to Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rusty Payne, 80 to 90 percent of substances collected labeled as molly had actually been completely different substances. Because the demand for molly has risen, buyers will purchase molly at $20 to $50 a dose; street vendors have consequently been inclined to sell substitutes for the in-demand product.

And these molly counterfeits are not solely a bad trip, nor just a simple rip-off. The issue with these substitutes is that many of those making and selling molly have no idea what chemicals they are tampering with, resulting in uninformed buyers downing unknown substances. Several recent instances of this have caused medical emergencies and deaths. Earlier this September, two deaths and several cases of overdoses attributed to molly caused New York City’s Electric Zoo Festival to cancel the final day of their show. According to a Sept. 12 New York Times article, it was revealed that one of the deceased had mistakenly taken a combination of MDMA and the dangerous psychoactive drug methylone, likely sold to him as molly.

While celebrities have mentioned and endorsed the use of molly, at the end of the day, they won’t be found buying molly from unreliable sources at a rave. The act of popping random pills has its consequences and risks, and people should not be fooled or confused to think otherwise.

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