'Molly' is a purer, powdered form of Ecstasy chemically known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It has been around for decades. It has lately surged in popularity with college students, and is being name-checked by mainstream artists ranging from Kanye West and Rick Ross to Miley Cyrus and Madonna. Molly can be taken orally in powder, tablet or capsule form. The effects, which include a sense of increased energy, euphoria and empathy, can last from three to six hours after ingestion. It was first created as a diet drug in 1914, and in the 1970s was used by doctors as an aid in psychotherapy. In the 1980s and 1990s it burst upon the club scene as a party drug. Today, the drug is currently in clinical trials as a potential aid to treat post-traumatic stress disorder as well as anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
Molly is becoming a popular party drug again and MDMA emergency room visits have doubled since 2004. It can be dangerous to casual users for a range of reasons, with a major one being that it’s hard to detect when an overdose looms. MDMA causes a reduction in the serotonin reuptake in the brain. MDMA can also be known as 'Ecstasy' (or 'E' or 'X') and is generally a less pure form of the same substance taken in pill form.
