BY WENDY VARELA, CLASS OF 2014 —
Outside a busy nightclub, hundreds are lined up to enter one of the most popular after-hour parties in the Tri-State area. The nightclub is open until 9 in the morning, long after many night lounges have closed for the night.
Club-goers glow in neon colored outfits. They are young women and men of many different backgrounds and ethnicities. It is obvious that the place hosts an international appeal with music being its focal point. Inside Michael*, is getting his first drink of the night, a Johnnie Black on the rocks, when a tall lanky young man embraces him and surreptitiously hands him two 20 dollar bills. The two stare at each other, and Michael gives the young man a look of confusion. Then the young man in a strong European accent asks, “Where’s Molly?”
Who is Molly? One of the pretty girls lined up outside? No, Molly is not your girl next door. Molly is the street term of a pure crystalized 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine drug, better known and popularized by the name “Ecstasy”. The name “Molly” is short for molecule and it refers to a pure version of the drug MDMA. It is sold in powder form; it is also sold in a gel-capsule that is filled with the crystals.
“Molly” is sold for up to $40 a capsule, depending on the dosage starting from 100 mg to 200 mg with variations in between. Both forms are orally taken, despite of the bitter taste of the drug. It takes a half hour for the drug to hit, and once it does it sends the user into an energized whirlwind where even the slightest sensory stimulation of any kind, produces an intense feeling of mental pleasure to the user.
Negative effects of MDMA, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency website, include confusion, depression, anxiety and sleeping problems. It is also said to be a gateway drug for other dangerous drugs such as Oxycodone. While on “Molly”, the user can become extremely dehydrated and the body can overheat. The user also experiences an extreme case of jaw-clenching and grinding teeth. But this doesn’t stop any of its users to think twice; in fact Molly is more popular than ever.
The recreational use of the synthetic drug MDMA started in the mid-seventies with chemists such as Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin advocating the drug to his peers because of how he described it makes one feel like “[Seeing] the world how it really is”. In the late 80’s, MDMA became illegal and was placed on the DEA’s Schedule 1 controlled substance list, along with marijuana in 1985 after being “deemed to have no medical uses and a high potential for abuse”, according to the DEA.
In the early 90’s with the birth of house music, the drug became popular at raves and since then has become an integral part of the music culture. For decades, MDMA has been sold in a pressed pill form and under the name “Ecstasy”, but now “Ecstasy” has a younger, more pure cousin, “Molly”. What has attributed to this change in such an old and tried drug? What has given to the rise in popularity among the ravers? Well for starters, ravers are not the only ones enjoying the euphoric drug.
“It is known throughout history, of the tactic used by many big name companies of dutifully taking their brand, merchandise and outlook of their organization and throwing it all away to be re-imaged, re-packaged and redefined to be re-sold to their audiences or followers,” Robert*.
“It is evident even in actor’s or actress’ careers. Take for instance Miley Cyrus, Superman, or McDonald’s. They have all initially started with a different look, style and message then the present one they currently hold in society. That is what is happening right now with MDMA, it is being re-packaged to a whole other type of customer and they are biting.” Robert “found Molly” after raving one night with older cousins, who have had experiences with “Ecstasy”. Robert also occasionally sells the sought after drug.
The term Molly has also found it way into popular rap lyrics:
“Something’ ’bout Mary she gone off that Molly…” -Kanye West on “Mercy”
“I don’t smoke no Bobby, but my denim be from Ricky/Got your girl a molly and we smoke loud and drinkin’… ”- 2 chainz on “Beez in the Trap”
“MDMA got you feeling like a champion/the city never sleeps better slip you an Ambien.” –Jay-z on “Empire State of Mind”
“Talkin’ four door Bugatti/ I’m the life of the party/Let’s get these hoes on the Molly” –Rick Ross on “Pop That”,
“Pop a molly smoke a blunt/ That mean I’m a high roller” -Lil’ Wayne on “Roman Reloaded”.
“All of these songs have been on mainstream radio and on heavy rotation on MTV, I am not sure if the FCC has caught on with what “Molly” really is,” Laurent*, a tri-state party promoter said during a recent interview.
“On it [Molly], you feel like everything is in its place and nothing could ever go possibly wrong,” said Robert*, whose words floated up in the air like someone who just popped a capsule.
“You say to yourself ok, I’ll only take it once to see how it feels, but the next time you hear a line in the lyrics of a new song … you immediately feel like damn! Where’s Molly?! It is also so easily accessible at any night venue, all you have to do is ask around.”
According to medical sources, emergency rooms have not experienced much visits to the ER related to “Molly”. A local head nurse at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey didn’t even know what this drug was and has never had an instance with “Molly” in an emergency room. Less than 4% of emergency room visits in 2009 were because of MDMA, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, which is part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
It is a common fact that the excessive intake of any drug can have serious damaging effects, but research on “MDMA” hasn’t been thoroughly done due to faulty testing and reporting of the facts, according to the documentary “Ecstasy Rising” narrated by the late Peter Jennings. At the time of this article, no studies proved “Molly” to have a lasting damage on the cognitive development in humans or any other lasting damage. Chemists such as Shuglin even go as far to say that when taken in moderation, MDMA can be a useful tool in psychotherapy. It of course has horrible after effects including deep depression when coming off of the drug. And yet, it is ever popular within the young partygoers and music lovers set. “Molly” is always on the guest list. She is in high demand, and in an after-hours party, she is constantly being requested; sometimes even to people who don’t know what the drug is.
Maybe it was the light up t-shirt Michael wore, flashing a popular DJ’s logo who loves “Molly”. Or maybe it was his obnoxious Guido style of hair; whatever it was, Michael was the target of not only the European man, but of two other groups of people inquiring about a certain “girl”. Little did they know that the drug dealer look-a-like, is a “Molly” virgin not interested in losing his virginity anytime soon to the frenzy of “Molly”.
The Peacock Press 