MDMA, also known as Molly, has been around for several years and is making a comeback among local scenes.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Molly is a form of MDMA or 3, 4-Methylenedioxtmethamphetamine. It can come in the form of powder or crystals.
Ecstasy is usually laced with other items like caffeine, but Molly is considered to be the “pure” form of MDMA. This means that, under perfect conditions, it does not have any other items added into it.
As stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “MDMA is a synthetic drug that has stimulant and psychoactive properties.” It has many short- and long-term health effects for users. For the short-term effects, MDMA users can experience the feelings of mental stimulation, emotional warmth, enhanced sensory perception and increased physical energy. These can last between three and six hours.
“There are no withdrawal symptoms associated with MDMA, and because prolonged use eventually begins to diminish users’ highs, the risk of physical adddiction is low,” Pax Prentiss, Passages rehab CEO told CNN Health.
The drug, however, still has the potential to cause severe, damaging effects on the body. Health effects of MDMA can include nausea, chills, sweating, teeth clenching, muscle cramping and blurred vision. MDMA can inhibit the body from regulating its temperature, which could lead to hyperthermia. In hyperthermia, the liver, kidney and cardiovascular system can fail and can lead to death. MDMA users can also experience the same health effects as cocaine users, which includes increased heart rate and blood pressure.
The DEA has classified MDMA as a schedule 1 controlled substance. This means that this substance is subject to high abuse and has no acceptable medical uses, categorizing the drug as illegal.
MDMA is commonly found being used in the age group of 16 to 24 years old, according to CNN Health.
This age group is widely known to be the majority of the population at music festivals, a popular destination for drug deals.
According to CNN Health, “In 2012, Molly was abundant at music festivals–if you knew where to look at. For users, Molly starts with a bitter taste which is soon forgotten as the high kicks in.”
Molly has been mentioned by many hip-hop artists in their music, making it increasingly mainstream. Artists include 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Childish Gambino, Kanye West and Danny Brown.
Evan, a young professional working in Michigan, stated to CNN Health, “It felt like everything was amplified. It felt euphoric, almost like a crazy adrenaline rush for a long time.”
Another user, Jessica, told CNN Health that when the high was over, it wasn’t like depression, but she thought, “Aw man, I wish I felt that way again.”
Although she did not experience depression, the National Institute on Drug Abuse said, “Even if a person takes only one pill, the side effects of MDMA include feelings of sadness.”  
According to the DEA, after the user has ingested Molly, users will experience euphoria. This means that it floods the brain with the neurotransmitters, serotonin, a type of chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Norepinephrine and dopamine are also produced, making users feel elated, empathic and full of energy.
“Molly is a high energy stimulant which makes it very attractive to young people,” Darryl Stewart, captain of the Terrebonne Parish Narcotics Task Force, said.
DEA spokesman Rusty Payne told CNN Health, “Molly carries both the innocent appeal of the girl next door and the implication that the drug is always pure MDMA, but because the chemical makeup of Molly is often altered, taking the drug is dangerous.”
It is like playing Russian roulette, Payne said.
The form of Molly has changed from the original form, Stewart said.  “They have changed from the pill with pictures and symbols on it that everyone is familiar with to a more generic form of a capsule,” he said.
Stewart said that they have seen an influx of uses of Molly in the parish in the past three months. There have been three cases recently involving young adults in their early twenties.
“With the new capsules, users will not know what is actually in the pill. You are trusting the person you are getting it from,” Stewart said.
 Along with recent cases in Terrebonne Parish, there was a recent arrest at Tulane University in February.
An undercover customs agent delivered a package of Molly to the Kappa Sigma house at Tulane University, which a resident signed for. The agents and Louisiana State Police obtained a warrant to search all the rooms in the fraternity house, and two sophomores were arrested in possession of MDMA with the intent to distribute. The students were also in possession of marijuana, LSD, DMT, opium, powdered cocaine and drug paraphernalia.