What the hell? : Molly

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I’ve heard of Ecstasy. I’ve heard of hippy flipping, candy flipping and every other flipping scenario. But when I heard the term “Molly,” I wanted to know what the hell it was and why everyone was talking about it like it was L.A. Gear in 1992. I thought it was some new crazy designer drug like bath salts or “Twelve,” especially since Madonna, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj were working references of it into their performances. It’s been a decade since my last rave, and I emphatically reject Trinidad James, so I decided to ask my fellow college students.

The answer was a snooze fest—MDMA in powder form. Big whoop. Everybody everywhere should stop what they’re doing and write an epideictic verse in iambic pentameter in honor of it. My trusted sources advised me that Molly was different. “It’s not your grandma’s Ecstasy,” they said. Apparently, Molly’s existence arose from the desire to avoid the mystery ingredients often mixed into Ecstasy pills. Choosy ravers don’t want their bodies exposed to any more toxins than necessary to achieve a nice euphoric high. Imagine that. Consciousness in drug abuse.

Let’s just assume that pure MDMA is a better avenue to drug use. First and foremost, that’s a lie. MDMA can do a world of damage even in its purest form. Convulsions, hypertension, hypotension, renal failure, organ failure, loss of consciousness, death? All calling cards of both Granny E and dear, sweet Molly.

The funny thing is that the name Molly doesn’t guarantee the purity of the product any more than diet pills guarantee weight loss. It’s like sticking “fat free” or “low fat” or “reduced fat” on food labels. It often means nothing. Just like those so-called reduced-fat foods that shouldn’t be eaten in the first place, Molly is just another illegal drug that shouldn’t be used. At least complaints can be filed against makers of the fatty foods with misleading labels. Get a dose of 6-APB or MDPV instead of MDMA and then what? Definitely a shortage of cash and an increased risk of being poisoned. Yeah, that sounds like a great party.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that young people—and possibly Madonna—are constantly searching for a higher high. Time after time, there’s always something new, like moonshine or LSD or hand sanitizer. Next decade, it will be something else with a name like Becky or Suzie Q. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what the motivation is for the perfect drug. What‘s so bad about reality and sobriety? What is it about our environment that drives our desire to escape?  What exactly are we searching for in our altered states?