OPINION: The lure and danger of Molly (MDMA)
When educating young people on the dangers of hard drugs, it is counterproductive to withhold information.
The Fourth Estate article on the drug MDMA, also known as “molly,” only lectures young adults on the dangers of the drug, and makes no effort to delve into why people use it or why its use is becoming so prevalent.
Here’s what MDMA does: users experience an increase in the release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Normally, these chemicals would release themselves gradually, but MDMA forces the brain to release the chemicals from their storage sites.
The result is the user feels an intense euphoria for several hours, depending on the amount of MDMA consumed.
This euphoric sensation is referred to as rolling.
Users do not see hallucinations like those caused by the drug shrooms, and they cannot experience a “bad” trip caused by the drug acid, which is part of why it is so appealing.
Rather, MDMA elevates the user’s feelings of happiness to extremely high levels, and also strengthens feelings of empathy towards those around the user.
This is why people do MDMA: it feels incredible and it is hard to have a negative experience.
However, herein lies the problems with MDMA. It can be “cut” with more dangerous drugs, and it can cause overexertion and dehydration.
Additionally, taking too much of the drug can overload the body and ultimately result in death or a trip to the emergency room.
When a drug like MDMA is “cut” with other drugs, it means that the seller has combined the MDMA with cheaper drugs in order to increase his profits.
For example, a seller could combine a bag of MDMA with a little bit of cheap methamphetamine and pass it off to the buyer as pure MDMA, which is undoubtedly profitable. And it is foolish to think that making a profit t isn’t the bottom line for a drug dealer.
Sometimes people obtain a drug that they think is MDMA, but it can either be a completely different substance or can be cut with other drugs that are far more dangerous, such as heroin or methamphetamine.
This is why using MDMA is dangerous— the drug is illegal, and therefore not regulated by the FDA, which means that you never know for sure if you’re getting pure MDMA or if it is combined with something else.
It is virtually impossible for the average person to tell what drug or drugs he is consuming before actually consuming it.
It is important to realize that when it comes to illegal drugs, you can never truly know what you’re getting.
It’s unlikely that a bit of cheap methamphetamine in your MDMA will kill you, but it’s possible, and for some, it’s not worth the risk.
If a user is lucky enough to obtain MDMA that isn’t cut with anything dangerous, MDMA still has its own risks.
Users experience an increase in heart rate, as well as an extreme increase in energy, leading to users overexerting themselves physically (like dancing a lot) and becoming dehydrated.
The problem is that sometimes users are too high on the drug and consumed with feelings of happiness to realize this.
Users of hard drugs do it because they want an escape, because they’re bored, because these drugs allow them to see things in a different way.
However, it is naïve to assume that just because you tell young people not to do something, they won’t.
So, it is important for information to be available. Regardless of the reasons for drug use, if a drug is illegal, you don’t truly know what you’re consuming.
If you choose to do any drug, you must do it with people you trust, be cautious in the amounts you consume, remember to stay hydrated and stay in a safe environment.