Kalama Hines
Features Editor
In demand. Exciting. Dangerous.
Drugs. Every recent decade has had one it was known for. In the 1960s, LSD (acid) gave people the trip they were in search of. In the 70s troops returning from the Vietnam War brought heroin back to the vein of America. And in the 80s cocaine was the craze.
Through the 90s and 2000s ecstasy entrenched itself in the world of recreational drugs, and now popularity has risen in the sibling of “E” — “Molly.”
Despite its ever-growing popularity, users have limited knowledge of the drug and the toll it takes. The misappropriated understanding that “Molly isn’t that bad,” couldn’t be more wrong. Molly, along with other methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) drugs, encapsulates several serious and significant side effects.
Use of the drug has risen in the past few years. 700,000 Americans aged 12 and up have used MDMA drugs, according to a survey done by Drugs.com. The growth in popularity is especially troubling due to side effects, which include paranoia and depression, in students.
“You have no idea the lab environment these chemicals or substances were produced in,” DEA spokesman Rusty Payne told CNN, in “There’s something (potentially dangerous) about molly … If they knew where things were produced, they might think twice.”
Payne went on to liken taking the drug to “playing Russian roulette.”
Merck, a German pharmaceutical company, first patented MDMA, which is available in powder, liquid and most popularly pill form, in 1912. However, it was not prescribed until the 1970s when pharmacologists and psychiatrists alike coined it “penicillin for the soul.”
In the 1980s MDMA became known as “empathy” and grew in popularity, and by 1985 the US Drug Enforcement Agency put it amongst the highest level of illegal drug. It was given the title of “schedule one narcotic,” in the belief that it contains no medical applications, and comes with a high addiction threat.
“From what I am told, Molly or ‘Maggie’ is a pure form of MDMA,” an unnamed female source said. “When mixed or ‘laced’ with other drugs — acid, cocaine, speed, chemicals — it is then called the more known drug Ecstasy.”
She explained that the first time she took Molly was at a rave (party) in San Francisco and was also under the influence of alcohol.
A common theme for the situation of fist-time user.
The direct effects she experienced were those desired — enhanced senses, increased energy levels and an overall sense of mental and physical euphoria. However, as the drug wears off, she explained, it becomes a “downer” (depressant) and as senses flatline there is a peak in emotions, most notably sadness.
Molly’s high finishes with a crash, leaving the user with a complete lack of energy and in a state of lethargy. One unnamed male source compared the high, and crash, to that of “meth or cocaine.”
Many, including some experts, make the comparison between Molly and the two more notably dangerous drugs because they’re occasionally found within the drug.
The opinion has been expressed that what makes Molly “better” than other MDMA drugs is that the aforementioned does not contain the same chemical additives as the latter.
This is not the case.
In fact, trace amounts of cocaine, methamphetamines and speed can be found within this dangerous lady, according to Target Registered Pharmacist (RPh) Ngami Ha.
The side effects of Molly are similarly dangerous to those chemical additives, thus it is no better than most other MDMA drugs.
In the short-term, following Molly or MDMA use, the user will suffer reduced interest in and pleasure from sex, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). MDMA use also causes anxiety, aggression and sleeplessness, along with sleep deprivation.
As MDMA use continues, the user’s body will begin to undertake several changes, including heart and kidney failure, according to NIDA.
The user will also begin to experience hypothermia (severe changes in internal body temperature), high blood pressure and loss in vision.
With extended use, NIDA acknowledges, MDMA may also cause loss of consciousness as well as seizures, and in some cases death.
Molly has wrongfully garnered the title as a “less dangerous drug.” That accompanied by its place in pop culture, with its regular mention in music lyrics, may be part of the reason for its high level of interest from teenagers and young adults.
Those interested in keeping an eye out for MDMA users, the drug itself is most commonly found in pill form. The pills, as the unnamed female claims, comes in single, double or triple stacks (pill width), they also come in different colors and often carry a distinguishing logo. For example, the blue dolphin — which is blue in color and has a dolphin etched into one side.
Those who are under the influence will experience physical symptoms, which include dilated pupils, a need for physical contact and involuntary eye movement and loss of appetite.
MDMA users will also show inability to open their mouth completely, while also uncontrollably grinding their teeth.
While those who were willing to share their experiences with the use of MDMA, they were also quick to recommend against its use. The majority of whom say they, themselves, will never use it again.
While most adults are in search of a momentary escape from reality, there are so many other options that don’t carry side effects, much less pernicious side effects. Find a form of art like painting, photography or music. Discover an unknown interest, in mechanics or horticulture.
After all, MDMA isn’t only dangerous, it’s illegal.