Drug Culture in American Colleges: Have you seen Molly?

As a gateway to Latin America, Miami is at a geographical disadvantage in terms of the transportation of drugs into the city. Consequently this has led to the growth of Miami’s drug culture. Besides from the problems of drug cartels and trafficking, drugs are a prominent feature within tahe Miami college scene. With the drinking age being twenty one, many students unable to obtain alcohol seek other ways to achieve a similar intoxication. Although marijuana, cocaine and even methamphetamine are widely used among the young people of Miami, the newest drug phenomenon in this city has to be MDMA.

Also addressed by its street name ‘Molly’, MDMA has grown to become the choice of drug used within the Miami club scene. Molly comes in the form of a pill or a white powder. It can usually be mixed with bath salts, aspirin or caffeine, leaving a lot of users oblivious to what they are actually putting into their bodies. Deriving from ecstasy, its short term effects are known to give a sense of euphoria, hyperactivity, and insomnia.

Within the club scene, people using Molly are more alert and have the ability to party into the early hours of the morning. The long term effects of it can be more serious and can include high blood pressure, brain injury, depression and in worst cases, heart attacks.

Despite the dangers of it, Molly is probably the most commercialised drug. Along South beach there are plenty of shops selling merchandise ranging from t-shirts to hats with the words ‘Have you seen Molly?’ written on them. These are commonly worn or promoted at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival. As one of the world’s largest music festivals, Ultra is a three-day weekend packed with some of the biggest DJs and live acts from all over the world. With over 160,000 people in attendance, many young people struggle to keep up with the excitement and want to get the most fun they can get out of Ultra. As a result, they turn to Molly.

Some celebrities have even promoted use of this dangerous drug. At Ultra 2012, Madonna took to the stage to introduce an artist, and the pop star asked the audience: “How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?” Although Madonna claimed to be referring to a song, it caused a lot of controversy in the press and she was slammed for her apparent encouragement of the drug.

However, the dangerous side effects of the drug were brought to attention at Ultra 2013 when two people died from overdosing on Molly. As a result, for this year’s Ultra, police have insisted that security will be extra tight and any drug substance will be confiscated immediately.

It is easy to get sucked into the Miami drug culture. With its availability, commercialisation and the genuine curiosity of its effects, it is no surprise that Molly has become the new craze among young people. Rather than “finding Molly”, the solution is to bring awareness to the dangerous consequences of the drug and remove the “luxury” brand associations attached to it.