The newest users of Molly are middle-aged professionals, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent.

David Dongilli of the Philadelphia Division of the DEA told NBC10 Philadelphia that this group is experimenting with the drug, also known as MDMA. “They’ve sort of bought into this marketing plan by the criminal organizations that this is pure MDMA. It’s as if it has some sort of organic value and, unfortunately, it’s anything but organic and pure,” he said.

Drug dealers are mixing Molly with other substances, Dongilli said. “What you have are people ingesting rat poison, methamphetamine mixed with cocaine, acids and any other chemical that they can get together in pill form or some sort of crystallized [form], and sadly people are ingesting this and dying from it,” he said.

Molly has gained attention recently, after several deaths at electronic dance music festivals were attributed to the drug.
Dr. Jeanmarie Perrone, Director of the Division of Medical Toxicology in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s Emergency Department, says it is difficult to track how extensively Molly is being used, because it usually does not come up on a toxicology screen.

Molly, a more pure form of Ecstasy, comes in a powder. It has been available for decades, but has become more popular recently with college students. Mentions of the drug by music stars including Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West have increased its appeal.

Molly’s health risks can include involuntary teeth clenching, a loss of inhibitions, transfixion on sights and sounds, nausea, blurred vision and chills and/or sweating. More serious risks of the drug can include increased heart rate and blood pressure and seizures.