Skip to content

What's in a Name? Correlates of Ecstasy Users Knowing or Agreeing that Molly is Ecstasy/MDMA.

Joseph J Palamar

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 22, 2017 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2017.1369200 (opens in new tab)

Read Full Text
Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 1,045
Population Nightclub- and festival-attending adults in New York City
Topics MDMA
Keywords Humans Substance-related disorders N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine Hallucinogens Powders Crystallization Prevalence Drug contamination Adolescent New york city Female Young adult Surveys and questionnaires Illicit drugs Epidemiology Drug knowledge
Key findings Among 1,045 nightclub/festival attendees surveyed in 2016, 43.5% reported lifetime ecstasy use; of these, 84.6% agreed Molly is ecstasy/MDMA, 9.5% disagreed, and 5.9% did not know. Those disagreeing or not knowing had over six times the odds of obtaining ecstasy from an unknown dealer, and those disagreeing had four times higher odds of suspected or discovered adulteration. The authors suggest that knowing or agreeing that Molly is ecstasy/MDMA can help indicate ecstasy-related risk.

Abstract

Ecstasy (MDMA) has regained popularity in powder and crystalline form, known as Molly. However, it is unknown whether all Molly users are aware that Molly is ecstasy. A total of 1045 nightclub/festival-attending adults in New York City were surveyed about ecstasy/MDMA/Molly use in 2016. Users were asked if they agreed that "Molly is (or is supposed to be) ecstasy/MDMA." Of the 43.5% reporting lifetime use, 84.6% agreed that Molly is ecstasy, 9.5% disagreed, and 5.9% reported not knowing that Molly is ecstasy. Prevalence of use of other drugs (e.g., ketamine, opioids, methamphetamine, NBOMe, 2C series) was lowest among those not knowing that Molly is ecstasy, and highest among those not agreeing that Molly is ecstasy. Those not knowing that Molly is ecstasy were less likely to have used powder or crystal MDMA and less likely to have used in the past 12 months or to report intention to use again. Those disagreeing or not knowing that Molly is ecstasy were at over six times the odds of obtaining ecstasy from an unknown dealer, and those disagreeing were at four times higher odds of having suspected or found out that their ecstasy was adulterated. Results suggest that knowing or agreeing that Molly is ecstasy/MDMA can help indicate ecstasy-related risk.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on MDMA, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Recreational MDMA use in Sydney: a profile of ‘Ecstasy’ users and their experiences with the drug Recreational Ecstasy users recruited via snowball peer network 1992 Cross-sectional survey n = 100
Reducedin vivobinding to the serotonin transporter in the cerebral cortex of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) users Male regular ecstasy users and well-matched controls 1999 Cross-sectional association study n = 20
Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students 2006 Cross-sectional survey n = 149
Patterns of recreational drug use at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland Drug users at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, aged 16-47, 80% between 18 and... 2001 Cross-sectional survey n = 122
Acute, sub‐acute and long‐term subjective consequences of ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA) consumption in 430 regular users Regular MDMA users 2003 Cross-sectional study n = 466

Citations in the library

Cited by 6

and 1 more in the library

Cites 4

Related reading

Explore topics

MDMA Ketamine