Who is ‘Molly’? MDMA adulterants by product name and the impact of harm-reduction services at raves

Abstract

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), often sold as 'Ecstasy' or 'Molly', is commonly used at music festivals and reported to be responsible for an increase in deaths over the last decade. Ecstasy is often adulterated and contains compounds that increase morbidity and mortality. While users and clinicians commonly assume that products sold as Molly are less-adulterated MDMA products, this has not been tested. Additionally, while pill-testing services are sometimes available at raves, the assumption that these services decrease risky drug use has not been studied. This study analyzed data collected by the pill-testing organization, DanceSafe, from events across the United States from 2010 to 2015. Colorimetric reagent assays identified MDMA in only 60% of the 529 samples collected. No significant difference in the percentage of samples testing positive for MDMA was determined between Ecstasy and Molly. Individuals were significantly less likely to report intent to use a product if testing did not identify MDMA (relative risk (RR) = 0.56, p = 0.01). Results suggest that Molly is not a less-adulterated substance, and that pill-testing services are a legitimate harm-reduction service that decreases intent to consume potentially dangerous substances and may warrant consideration by legislators for legal protection. Future research should further examine the direct effects of pill-testing services and include more extensive pill-testing methods.

Variability in content and dissolution profiles of MDMA tablets collected in the UK between 2001 and 2018 – A potential risk to users?

“…Typically, as in the first part of this study, these data are presented as retrospective audits of substances collected or purchased over a number of years, carried out in laboratory settings by groups such as the Drug Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) in the Netherlands, which has been in existence since 1992 and the National Detection System of Drugs and Toxic Substances (SINTES) in France . Some laboratory‐based groups, for example DanceSafe in the United States and Canada, and most recently the Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances (WEDINOS) project in Wales and the UK publish their analytical findings online . A review of the analytical techniques used in European testing laboratories was compiled as part of the Trans‐European Drug Information (TEDI) project …”

City checking: Piloting the UK's first community‐based drug safety testing (drug checking) service in 2 city centres

“…At micro–level, disposal of unwanted substances has been utilised as a key indicator of impact on individual service users, in part due to the relative ease of measuring disposals by comparison with other outcomes, the potential for comparison between testing services, and the indisputable benefit (apparent even to critics) of taking substances of concern out of circulation. Testing services worldwide report that a significant proportion of service users intend not to take further substances in their possession after service delivery, particularly if test results suggest that contents were adulterated, missold or otherwise other than expected …”

Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

“…160 Contaminating drugs include, but are not limited to, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, pseudoephedrine, butylone, and caffeine. 161,162 Many recreational MDMA users prefer “molly” as it is believed to be of high purity, however, a recent study employing hair follicle testing revealed that 48% of molly users tested positive for synthetic cathinones despite having reported that they had never used cathinones before.…”