You may have heard of the famous girl, Molly, but if you haven’t, you should know that she is all the rage at club scenes and music festivals nation wide. This “special” girl Molly will supposedly make your life better and will make you want to dance. But who is she and what has been all the commotion about her?
While Molly may sound like the name of a little girl with blonde pigtails, Molly is actually a slang term for methylenedioxy methylamphetamine (MDMA), also known as the purest form of ecstasy. Molly has been specifically noted for its tendency to evoke euphoria, decrease anxiety, and increase ones love for everyone around one by flooding your brain with serotonin. Those 3 effects have been the reasons that Molly is one of the most commonly abused drugs by teenagers. The drug is typically taken by pill or snorted through the nose, but how the users body will react to the drug is unpredictable. The effects of Molly may seem like fun and safe side effects, but, she is actually highly addictive and life threatening.
But what makes Molly so popular and widespread? Well, to start, Molly has a very notable reputation as being a mainstream drug in the music world. If you ask any rave or concert goer, they will most likely be able to tell you all about their dear friend Molly. Molly is responsible for thousands of deaths every year especially within clubs and electronic dance music festivals.
Molly has been around for quite some time. However, it has only been recently noticed that celebrities all over have glorified the drug. For example, in the song “We Cant Stop”, by Miley Cyrus, Cyrus sings how “…we like to party, dancing with molly, doing whatever we want.” Another rapper, by the name of Tyga, decided to dedicate an entire song about losing his beloved friend Molly. Many other artists like Chris Webby, Ace Hood, and Nicki Minaj have idolized her name in their songs as a casual societal activity. Her name appearing countless number of times in our society is the reason that New York has experienced a skyrocketing percentage within teens with high drug abuse rates.
All summer long, teenagers all over the world attend music festivals to celebrate their love for electronic dance music (EDM) and the idea of unity within the teenage community through music. Festivals held in NYC include Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), Electric Zoo (E-Zoo), and many other smaller events on Governors Island. After conducting my own survey, via surveymonkey.com, I was able to conclude that 77% of people, under the age of 23, who have went to one of these music festivals, have tried Molly at least once. This percentage only accounts for those who have actually attended one of those 3 music events in NYC listed above! Who knows how many more people have experimented with this deadly drug?
Drug usage has been so prominent within those 3 specific festivals, that just this past summer, the Electric Zoo Festival had to cancel their 3rd day of celebration due to 2 Molly related deaths. Though only 4 people a year, on average, in New York City, die from Molly overdose, as opposed to approximately 4,700 cocaine overdoes, within a 10 year span, dance-music fans abuse it to its full potential.
Because Molly tends to be sold in a white powder form (weather it’d be in a bag or in a pill), it is easy for drug-dealers to mix in any other cheap drug. This mixture can be lethal; especially when combined with loud volumes and rapid dancing. Since Molly is known to be the purest form of MDMA, (also referenced as the molecular form), teenagers have been fooled into its marketing of Molly as being a safe alternative to other drugs. Having this myth of safety floating around teenage gossip in NYC, many surrender themselves in the hands of Molly.
While surveys may not always be accurate, testimonies can always show first hand experience. After recently attending a music event at SRB (a club in Downtown, Brooklyn), I got to meet through a mutual friend one of the DJ’s that performed that night. Eric Sean, DJ and musical artist for approximately 2 years now, says that drug usage at musical festivals and events in New York, has “become an expectation…. It doesn’t shock me that kids are experimenting with all sorts of drugs, but I personally believe the entire experience lies within the rush you get from the music.” DJ Eric also claims that he cannot tell anyone how to live his or her life so he fully endorses one’s freedom to experiment.
Other fellow peers, who haven’t experienced the dance music festival experience, argue against the drug usage. After talking to a friend of mine, Olya Z., about drug usage in NYC clubs and festivals, she stated that peer pressure may be a cause of ones choice to take Molly. ‘Drugs flow in a chain”, says Olya, “people who observe others taking drugs and talking about how ‘enjoyable’ it is might make a person succumb into taking drugs.”
Shockingly, the worlds most famous DJ’s even have opinions on the Molly related deaths in NYC. DJ Zedd (Anton Zaslavski) is definitely someone who can vouch for the incidents he has seen and heard about with Molly. When asked his opinion about the cancellation of the 3rd day of E-Zoo during an interview with Tampa Bay Times, DJ Zedd responded, “When is it a right thing to cancel a concert?” DJ Zedd continues to explain, “If a place is not safe… I do think it’s definitely right to cancel a show…it’s a risk. But if we’re talking about people’s responsibilities, it’s difficult to judge that but there’s not much you can do.”
The verdict of the drug usage throughout NYC in clubs and festivals shows that there is no actual reason for people to be abusing the drug. The idea of raving was built upon the love for the music and the distribution of “good vibes.” Kids who use drugs irresponsibly are a danger to themselves and society. The legality of the drug is also questionable, which makes regulation very difficult among the crowd.
The safest way to enjoy these festivals is sober. NYC wants to enforce security more strictly to prevent any further drug abuse within music festivalgoers.
Molly may seem fabulous, but she is actually a deadly girl (sincere apologies to anyone named Molly reading this; I’m sure you’re lovely). She can turn your evening of wild partying at a music event, to a fatal night at the hospital.
Works Cited
Baker, Ernest, and Jacob Moore. “A History of Rappers Referencing “Molly” In Songs | Complex.” Complex.com. N.p., 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.complex.com/music/2012/04/a-history-of-rappers-referencing-molly-in-songs>.
Cridlin, Jay. “DJ Zedd Discusses Hit Singles, EDM’s Drug Culture before Concert at the Ritz Ybor in Tampa.” Tampa Bay Times. N.p., 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/music/talking-zedd/2140129>.
“DrugFacts: MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly).” National Institute on Drug Abuse. USA.gov, Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasy-or-molly>.
Freid, David, and Simran Kohsla. “Dancing with Molly: The EDM Drug.” Boulder Daily Camera. Digital First Media, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_24515034/dancing-molly-edm-drug>.
McKinley, James C., Jr. “Overdoses of ‘Molly’ Led to Electric Zoo Deaths.” Arts Beat Blog NY Times. NY Times, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. <http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/overdoses-of-molly-led-to-electric-zoo-deaths/?_r=0>.
