What is MDMA?
Whether you are rolling, blowing up, or thizzing, you are feeling the effects of molly, also known as MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. One problem these days is that much of the ‘molly drugs’ bought on the street aren’t actually MDMA at all.
Sometimes cut with adulterants such as methamphetamines or other amphetamine analogs, most ecstasy pills and powder molly are nowhere near pure. If you or someone you know has been abusing these chemicals, this article contains valuable information worth knowing.
Chemists in China do not care about the safety of drug users in America. They care about profits. With the internet providing reams of chemistry literature to everyone worldwide, China has quickly become a major player in the American synthetic drug world.
Cooking up large batches of random amphetamine analogs, pressing them into ecstasy pills, or passing it off as a ‘molly drug’ itself, they make millions while users suffer. Read on to learn things such as what is molly, the side effects of amphetamine analogs, signs of dependence on ecstasy, and where to look if you are seeking treatment for molly dependence.
What is Molly?
Molly is a slang term for powder MDMA. Most people assume that the molly drug they are getting is pure, however much of the molly these days is nowhere near pure MDMA. A recent study found that 40% of festival attendees who stated they had only used molly tested positive for bath salts. [i]
It is getting so bad that experts are considering expanding the definition of ‘molly drugs’ to include more than MDMA. Molly became the popular slang term for the drug in the late 2000’s with many rappers using the term in their songs. For some people in specific drug using communities and regions the term ‘molly’ is used interchangeably with both the terms MDMA and ecstasy. The ‘Molly drug’, as in MDMA was discovered long ago in the beginning of the 20th century, but exploded in popularity in the late 20th century and early 2000’s. [ii]
The underground dance parties featuring electronic dance music or EDM, known as raves, brought molly to mainstream society. As raves began to die out in popularity in the 2010’s, it again garnered popularity in the rap and hip-hop scenes. The bottom line is that molly drugs are an amazingly powerful amphetamine analog that has effects similar to methamphetamine and hallucinogens like magic mushrooms or LSD. It carries some potential for addiction and is very dangerous in high doses.
The Hundred Year History of MDMA
MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by the company Merck. It found clinical use in the 1970’s when it was used in psychotherapy. The reason it was used was to get patients to open up more and be more empathetic, theorized to help patients cope with certain aspects of their lives they were scared to revisit. This would be especially helpful with patients suffering from severe PTSD.
By the 1980’s it started gaining popularity as a street drug. However, that popularity took off in the early 1990’s with the emergence of raves and electronic music parties. A study from 2016 found that 21 million people from ages 15-64 had used MDMA, which puts it on par with cocaine or amphetamines as far as popularity. As with many of the drugs growing in popularity today, MDMA is not a new compound, rather it has been around for over a century and will exist long after we are all dead.
