Molly: It's More Than A Name

I'm sure most people in our class can remember the "Molly as in the drug" reference I made in class. First off I am not a supporter of this drug, or anything illegal in that sense, but this drug has become popular with teens and in school with the influence of hip hop.  Although we didn't discuss this matter in class, I felt like it would be an interesting topic to cover.

Let's begin with what "Molly" is exactly.  Molly is the powder or crystal form of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine) which is the chemical used in the drug Ecstasy.  Molly is a more potent form of the Ecstasy drug.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration give a great description of MDMA, its drug class, uses, it's potency, effects, and other chemically related details.  There is currently no legitimate medical use in the United States for the MDMA drug, so it is being used recreational for a party/dance drug due to its hallucinogenic properties.  The effects of this drug include mild intoxication,  relaxation, and increase in emotional and physical energy, dilated pupils, dry mouth, and sweating.  The MDMA drug was synthesized by accident in 1912 by a German pharmaceutical company called Merck.  It was tested in the 1950s by the U.S. Government as a truth serum, but was discarded.  It became a popular drug in the "streets" around the 1980s and was deemed illegal in 1985. Unfortunately, this drug is being seen more and more with teenagers these days.  MTV has even caught notice of this drug's rising popularity in hip-hop music.  Over the years drugs have been a popular topic in rap songs. It started with crack/cocaine in the 1980s, moved to marijuana in the 1990s, and in the 2000s it switched to a cough syrup mixture. Molly is now the next big thing.  Popular rappers such as Kanye West, Juicy J, and Rick Ross have said it in a song or two, and an up-and-coming rapper, Trinidad James has a popular lyric "pop a Molly, I'm sweatin'" in his new single.  He's been quoted "All the people are like 'I don't know what it is, but every time I hear the song, I just wanna do it.' That's a terrible excuse, but go 'head, get high, go 'head. Blame Trinindad, blame it on me." That is being said from an artist that teenagers are listening to and taking after.  "Molly" is becoming a huge problem in schools and Kare11 news team, a local NBC news, has done a story on it that gives a pretty good explanation on the drug and what parents could do about it (just click the link).
A question that you might have asked yourself by now is "What does this have to do with global issues?" The answer is the constant drug smuggling happening across United States borders and other borders. In 2007 there were over 70 known ecstasy laboratories in 8 different countries: Australia, Indonesia, Canada, USA, Holland, France, Mexico, and Spain.  The United Nations office on Drugs and Crime has estimate the the global ecstasy market is worth $16 billion dollars.  Although that is a lower figure than marijuana and cocaine, it is still a problem that we are having to deal with.  Drug smuggling isn't just something we have to deal with in the United States, it is a global issue that many other countries have to deal with and it often leads to bigger problems.  Molly is a drug that effects brain cells greatly and that can happen when used even just once.

Again, I do not support the use of illegal drugs, but there might be ways to prevent them with the younger generation. I suggest that parents start talking to their children. Have open conversations about "Molly" and other drugs that are damaging to health.  The fact that rap music is making the drug seem "cool" isn't helping the cause either.  Parents don't have to be strict about what their child is listening to, but making sure the child understand what can happen when using that drug is something parents can do easily.  I feel that the more a child is able to open up to their parent, the more they are willing to listen.  If we can stop this drug use with high school students, where it is being targeted, we can slow down the drug smuggling business.  Education is crucial when it comes to situations like this.  Maybe popular media can begin to focus on something with positive side effects, instead of something that can end in such a terrible outcome.



Other sources:
http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drugculture/drugorigins/ecstasy
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/16/health/molly-mdma-drug/index.html

By: Kara Rivas