Meet Molly

Have you seen Molly? She's petite, white and asked for by name at festivals and concerts. Neon T-shirts bear her name, and artists from Kanye to Miley to Madonna won't shut up about her. You can usually find her hand in hand with someone looking to pawn her off at a party. And there are those who have it on expert authority to stay the hell away from her.

Anyone who's turned on a radio or been to a festival this summer knows Molly is the name given to the "pure" form of the hallucinogenic amphetamine MDMA, the key ingredient in the drug Ecstasy. MDMA alone is a Schedule 1 drug, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, labeled so because it has no therapeutic or medicinal benefit and runs the risk of being abused. And its use is skyrocketing, according to officials and statistics.

Miley Cyrus admitted in July that "dancing with Molly" was the correct lyric from her hit "We Can't Stop," even though her publicist tried to claim otherwise. Rick Ross lost an endorsement deal with Reebok after a line from a song said he'd put it in a girl's champagne in April. And Madonna caught flak in March for asking a crowd if they "had seen Molly" at Miami's Ultra Music Festival, most notably from electronic dance music artist Deadmau5, who said he'd give up his entire career for the association between electronic dance music and Molly to end. The New York Times even published a lengthy piece in its fashion and style section on the drug in June, in which users touted it as a purer, more approachable alternative to Ecstasy, favored by health-conscious professional types over cocaine and weed.

As the drug's profile rises, medical professional and law enforcement agents warn of the dangers associated with it. Molly can cause nausea, chills, sweating and extreme side effects such as kidney and heart failure as a result of overheating. Overdoses can bring seizures and loss of consciousness. Longer-term side effects can include anxiety, sleeplessness, reduced sexual desire and aggression for up to a week after it's taken.

Statistics suggest MDMA is again on the rise. In 2005, 615,000 people over the age of 12 said they had used the drug once in the last year, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey. In 2011, the most recent survey available, the number shot to 922,000. In July, before Lollapalooza, the Illinois Poison Center sent out an alert about MDMA and Molly, noting that the center receives more calls from July through September-the height of fest season-than from January through June combined. From the beggining of May through Aug. 22, the center noted, 62 overdoses and one death had been reported.

So what exactly is Molly? Is it a new, pure experience that's caught the interest of pop culture icons and music lovers alike, or just a rebranding of a drug whose image was tarnished by rave culture? Opinions vary.

"When I was at Lollapalooza this year, I was getting asked every 20 minutes if I had some Molly or if I wanted some," said one user, a 27-year-old software developer from Noble Square, who asked to remain anonymous because he didn't want potential clients to know of his drug use.

Popularity has increased even since he first tried the drug at Spring Awakening in 2012, he said, but so has the worry among users that dealers are trying to sell fake or impure forms to those looking to buy. Still, he's tried it about a dozen times since and plans on attending more EDM concerts in the near future.

"I feel like my body is able to react more to my surroundings," he said. "I feel like I get more in the groove of the beat. I dance my ass off, I guess is a good way to put it. It's a good euphoric feeling, it's all smiles."

The medical community and law enforcement beg to differ, citing the dangerous physical and mental side effects of MDMA.

Additionally, they say, when Molly passes hands at fests or concerts, there's no guarantee it's the pure, unaltered form of MDMA it's sold to be. Ecstasy is commonly cut or mixed with other substances like aspirin, ephedrine, caffeine or even LSD. Dr. Westley Clark says a new name doesn't change what the drug really is.

"It's just got a new dress on. If Molly is a 'pure' form, the question is, who determined that?" said Clark, the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "When you're in the drug market, you don't have the FDA. Part of the underground mindset is, 'I get it from George because I think he's a reliable source.'"

He said the rise of Molly is in part a clever ploy from drug dealers, latching on to the idea that new generations forget about the reputation of certain drugs. In the case of MDMA, branding Molly as "pure" is a way to reach a new market that may have forgotten about the negative associations Ecstasy got as part of the rave culture.

The 27-year-old Molly user from Noble Square said he enlists help of his friends to find what he considers trustworthy sources of Molly when he's at concerts, as fears about fake or impure product has risen among users. In some cases, he said, dealers and users alike bring along testing kits that can tell how pure the drug is. He said he's never had an adverse reaction or felt a physical need to take the drug. This year at Lollapalooza, he warded off dozens of offers to buy the drug because he had work the next day.

"I just try to be responsible with my actions," he said. "I'm having fun, but I don't need my actions to have an impact [outside of that]."

Clark said the risks outweigh the rewards.

"If you're looking for a good thing about it, it's some of these psychological effects people experience," he said, noting euphoria and diminished anxiety. "If you're looking for the guarantee there won't be an adverse event, that's the bad thing, there isn't one."

EDM fans tired of stereotype

Electronic dance music fan Parker Jordan was watching the livestream of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami when he heard Madonna shout out to fans on stage, "How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?"

"I had a little eye roll, like I always do when I hear comments like that," the 21-year-old from Hyde Park said. He's part of the subset of avid EDM fans who haven't tried the drug and aren't happy with its association to the style of music.

Jordan, who said he practically "lives" at fests that feature EDM, said he's sick of artists glamorizing Molly and furthering the stereotype that the drug and the genre go hand-in-hand. He's especially tired, he said, of the T-shirts and other marketing items that make money off the drug's popularity.

"I feel like it's just a natural part of any entertainment industry," he said. "People are going to try to glamorize it, make money off it. I don't like that idea, but it's just natural."

For those who abstain, it's the lights, lasers, positive atmosphere, high-energy music and dancing that attracts them, not the drug. Michelle Stroner, 24, who recently moved from the South Loop to Johnsburg, Ill., said she's seen plenty of Molly going around when she attends shows, but has never tried it. The association between EDM and the drug sometimes leads to assumptions about her lifestyle.

"It's not super frequent, but every now and then, I get, 'So have you ever tried Molly?'" she said. "Even my mom says, 'When are you going to stop going to these clubs and stuff?'"

mswasko@tribune.com