Ravers dance during a set by DJ Porter Robinson during the 2nd day of the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas June 25, 2011.

Ravers dance during a set by DJ Porter Robinson during the 2nd day of the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas June 25, 2011. Credit: MCT

Performers were not the only ones making headlines this music festival season. The club drug known as Molly, a powder or crystalline form of MDMA, the chemical used in ecstasy, has truly stolen the show.

Popular culture has glamorized Molly, making it more socially acceptable to use than cocaine because it is not a physically addictive drug. However, while it is advertised as this pure form of MDMA, Molly is cut with other drugs like heroin, speed and LSD. As far as common sense goes, the adding of any other substance to MDMA would make the end result less pure. With that being said, who knows what chemicals people are putting into their bodies.

Concerts featuring Electric Dance Music, often referred to as EDM, are known for breeding drug experimentation. In recent news, New York City’s Electric Zoo music festival had its final day canceled because of the MDMA-linked deaths of two concert-goers. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of emergency room visits due to MDMA has doubled since 2004.

Molly is known for inducing feeling of euphoria, closeness and diminished anxiety. While these effects all seem like a great way to escape reality, the side effects are known to include teeth grinding, dehydration, anxiety, insomnia and grueling hangovers. The drug often results in a drop in serotonin levels days after use, making the user incredibly depressed which can ultimately lead to suicide. Yet some users say the high is worth the pain.

The alarming truth of it all is that some of Molly’s audience is unfazed by the drug’s recent bad press. People can be too defensive about a drug that they essentially know nothing about. The risks outweigh the benefits, lives are being lost, so what else is it going to take to stop Molly?