Scrutiny Of 'Molly' Party Drug Increases After 4 Deaths
Sep-12-2013

A recent string of deaths in the Northeast from a drug known as Molly has authorities looking into whether a bad batch may be to blame.

Police believe the purified form of the drug known as Ecstasy is what killed four young people in just over a week, and sent many more to emergency rooms. Incidents involving the drug have stretched from Boston to New York and Washington, D.C.

Molly has all the makings of what one official called an absolute disaster. It can be as easy to get and as cheap as a six-pack of beer. It allegedly offers a euphoric high, a burst of energy and sometimes mild hallucinations to those using it.

The spike in Molly use parallels the resurgence of electronic dance music at raves, clubs and festivals like one in Boston over the weekend.

"For me, it makes the music more enjoyable ... almost life-changing, honestly, the experience you get at these concerts," says a man named Steve, who only wanted to be identified by his first name. He says even the four recent fatalities would not deter him from using Molly.

"Well, there is the risk," he says, "but I've never had problems in the past. I feel like people that do just don't have really good self-control about it. 'Cause usually it wouldn't be deadly, unless you still were doing the wrong dosage of it."

Boston festival producer Michael Snow helped set up stations at the event warning young people of the risk.

"I still think there [are] a lot of misconceptions about what it is, and what dangers are," he says.

Molly - short for "molecule" - is billed as a purified form of MDMA, the main ingredient in Ecstasy. It boosts both serotonin and dopamine, making a person feel happy, and enhancing the pleasure of touch. But Harvard Medical School professor John Halpern says side effects can range from dehydration to even overhydration.

"You can become overhydrated and even die from that; it's called polydipsia," Halpern says. "There's risk of having a cardiac abnormality, [and] there are reports of seizures occurring in some individuals. And there are aftereffects."

The crash after using the drug can be so severe that Molly hangovers have been dubbed "Suicide Tuesdays."

But experts say even more dangerous is the fact that users don't really know what they are using.

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