Molly: This is what it means

A sweet name for a dangerous substance.

By Rich_Maloof Mar 15, 2013 6:07PM

Chances are you have not heard of it. You’re not meant to, either, because the Molly we’re talking about isn’t some sweet-faced, all-American girl. It’s the street name for a drug that’s booming in clubs, on college campuses and at suburban house parties.

Molly is the second big wave of the psychoactive substance MDMA. The first wave was ecstacy, which flooded into the rave scene years ago and, by some accounts, rivals marijuana for attracting first-time drug users. Molly has a reputation as a more pure form of MDMA, promising a longer, cleaner, higher high.

Users describe a heightened state in which lights glow brighter, music sounds better, and everybody — strangers and friends alike — are more lovable. The sense of touch is intensified as well, contributing to the characterization of Molly as a sex drug. Getting “the sweats” is a hallmark of a Molly high as it causes body temperature to rise. Partyers down a lot of water while they’re buzzing, and may take the edge off the intensity by smoking pot.

The high lasts between three and six hours. After that, the comedown is hard.

Teens interviewed on CBS News this week described the crash as a catatonic depression.

“It just kind of zombified me,” said one teenaged boy.

A girl who found the aftermath of a Molly high unbearable reported that she “just laid in bed all day, never wanted to get up. You don’t want to eat anything and you don’t want to drink, don’t want to talk to anyone.”

MDMA causes a surge of serotonin, a feel-good hormone that normally helps regulate attention, behavior, mood and body temperature. But MDMA depletes the brain’s serotonin reserves, throwing brain and body out of balance. Serotonin syndrome is marked by agitation, confusion, heavy sweating and headache. At its most severe, the serotonin imbalance from MDMA increases body temperature, potentially leading to seizures and cardiac arrest.

Bing: More about Molly

For the newbies who tried their first experiments with X, Molly is just a baby step away. But despite claims of purity that help move more drugs, Molly is typically cut with other substances (e.g., extra methamphetamine, talc, caffeine, cough suppressant) that are easily disguised. Even the dealer who palms a Baggie to a kid with a nod and a fist bump doesn’t know what’s in it. A “bath salt” high — named for an adulterated batch of MDMA that resembles epsom salt, though there’s no bath salt in it — is notoriously bad.

According to a New York Post piece in which a reporter tailed a team of dealers, Molly sells on the streets of NYC for about $150 per gram. The drug is most commonly made available — very easily available, according to kids — in powder form or in capsules containing the powder.

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