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Last updated on Wednesday, September 18, 2013
(UNDATED) - A handful of deaths have been tied to what some are calling a new drug that’s popular at dance clubs.
But one doctor says it isn't a new drug at all.
"Molly" is short for molecule and is touted as a "pure" form of MDMA. MDMA is the same thing as the drug Ecstasy according to Dr. Kris Hunt, emergency room physician at St. Vincent Hospital.
"It's a slang term people are using to try to revamp the drug," Hunt says.
Those who use molly claim it is safe, that it gives a powerful high with no lingering effects the next day.
"It increases dopamine and increases seratonin, especially. Those are the two chemicals in the brain that make you happy," Hunt says.
But the doctor also says claims of the drug's safety are specious.
"There is no guarantee of purity if anything is bought on the black market or through a drug dealer," a claim Hunt says is true of any drug.
Molly's advocates are plenty - Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Madonna (her last album was titled MDNA) are among those who have spoken of its benefits in songs.
The drug appeared to be popular at music festivals over the summer. The Electric Zoo Festival in New York is where two young women died over Labor Day weekend, and the medical examiner says both had overdosed on Molly.
At least two other deaths in other parts of the country have been linked to the drug, though Hunt says he isn't sure how prevalent it is in Indiana.
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