Crime & Safety
Do Your Kids Know Molly? Christ Hospital Warns of Popular Party Drug
The hot new party drug featured in the latest Miley Cyrus hit has dangerous side effects, according to doctors at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
Do you know if your teen has ever run into Molly?
The increasingly popular party drug had taken off in pop culture this year, receiving shout outs in hit songs by Miley Cyrus and Jay-Z and Kanye West. Cyrus used the phrase "dancing with Molly" in the chorus of her chart-topping song "We Can't Stop."
While the drug might be taking off on the radio, doctors at Advocate Christ Hospital warn that its dangers should not be taken lightly.
“Molly is MDMA, also known as ecstasy, which isn’t a new drug,” says Dr. Andrea Carlson, toxicologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in a news release. "Molly is just a new slang term for ecstasy that has become en vogue.”
So what exactly is Molly? It's essentially the drug known as MDMA, or in scientific terms 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Molly is an extremely powerful powder form of the drug, which is the main ingredient of ecstasy.
The strange part about Molly is that its ingredients remain a bit of a mystery and can vary from batch to batch.
“Classically, ecstasy is MDMA. The active drug compound in ecstasy is not always MDMA, though. There have been, over the years, a number of drugs similar to MDMA sold as ecstasy,” says Dr. Theodore Toerne, an emergency doctor and medical toxicologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center. “I think this concept may play a role in the new name, Molly. Molly is the same as Ecstasy, but yet different. No end-user likely knows for sure just exactly what the active drug is in a given batch.”
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency there has been a 300 percent increase in poison center calls pertaining to synthetic drugs and in 60 percent of cases the individual in question is under the 25 years old.
The other issue is that drug cartels are often selling other dangerous synthetic drugs under the name Molly unbeknownst to buyers, the DEA reports.
The drug is designed to promote social behavior and is often taken in party atmospheres. While it might be used to enhance fun, its effects are anything but.
Doctors at Advocate Christ say that side effects can include, "severe health consequences, including allergic responses, temperature regulation issues, panic attacks, and, more significantly, even death."
In a Huffington Post entry, Dr. Carole Bennett provides useful tips to parents on how to broach the subject of drugs with your kids.
However you do it, all experts agree that it is a conversation worth having.
More Stories Worth Reading
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
