Who is ‘Molly’? What Parents Need to Know

ATLANTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – “Have you seen Molly?”

The trendy drug is making waves across the music industry and in Middle Georgia. The new form of ecstasy is catching on with a younger audience, for parents who haven’t heard of “Molly”, health officials are urging them to become familiar with her.

“It sounds innocent and benign,” said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, managing director of the Georgia Poison Center, “it’s probably one of those ones that doesn’t sound illegal and that’s a major concern for us.

And Lopez says it’s a major misconception. Experts say the “club drug” with the innocent name is marketed as a pure form of MDMA or Ecstasy, but it’s not.

“They contain everything from bath salts to MDMA to heroin to caffeine,” Lopez said.

The center started receiving calls about MDMA “Molly” mix about three years ago. Since then Lopez has seen a slight increase, but this past year, calls to the center have nearly doubled. According to the Georgia Poison Center, dealers are targeting high school and college students with powder and colorful decorated pills. The music industry’s mentions are glamorizing the drug for kids.

“It’s easy to access and inexpensive,” Lopez said, “one pill will run you about $8-$12.”

Macon native and rapper Tex James says the catchy name is a big part of the drug craze.

“Think of ‘moonshine’, ‘Mary Jane’,” James said, “it draws people’s attention, it makes you want to try them, you know makes you want to talk about them.”

James and the medical professionals are urging parents to do the same thing: pay attention to what their kids are listening to and who they hang out with.

“It all starts at home,” James said.

With side effects like dehydration, seizures, paranoia and even death; families can’t afford to miss a beat when it comes to “Molly”.