Article summary
James McKinley article in The New York Times discusses overdose of an ecstasy drug called Molly, and death resulting from the same. Molly is a new ecstasy drug sold to the youth in the United States. To be precise, Molly is a street name for a drug referred as MDMA (3, 4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine). In most cases, the ecstasy drug is sold as a pill or powder.
Medical experts and psychologists allege that Molly is a typical stimulant and is used to help patients with mental disorders to open up during counseling sessions. From this perspective, the drug is essential in helping patients socialize and open up to people around them. The right dosage of the MDMA drug is recommended. However, an overdose of the drug is considered harmful and results to abuse.
The article was written to provide insightful information regarding abuse of Molly among the youth. In fact, the article uses an example to articulate on dangers of abusing the drug. The article discusses how two young individuals died as a result of abusing the ecstasy drug. McKinley’s article is based on evidence that the drug has previously affected the youth in similar occasions. For example, the drug seems to be sold among the youths attending electric music parties.
From the article, it is evident that Molly is popular among the youths aged below 25 years. According to the author, the two individuals who died at the Electric Zoo festival during Labor Day of 2013 were aged 20 and 23 years old.
Evidence showing how the drug is prominent among the youths indicates similar deaths in New York. Other indications showing dangers of the drug among the youths reveals that at least 4 people die of MDMA overdose every year in New York. In addition, statistics show that at least 43 young people died from MDMA overdose between 2000 and 2011.
The reason why the youth are a target of the MDMA usage is because the drug is cheap and not physically addictive. Moreover, electric music parties where the drug is sold are attractive to young people. Prolonged usage and abuse of molly has negative physiological and psychological effects. From a physiological perspective, abusers of Molly lose appetite, experience exhaustion, insomnia, jaw soreness, dizziness and constipation. Psychological effects of abusing the drug include depression, impaired attention and paranoia.
McKinley’s article is interesting since it focuses on current drug abuse in the United States. The article focus on a new drug abuse trend in the country raises fundamental issues about availability of the drug off the pharmaceutical shelves. MDMA drug is meant for psychiatry and is only licensed for sale in pharmaceuticals.
The article also suggests a possible mixing of Molly with methylone, making the drug fatal. The article is interesting as it associates abuse of the drug with Electric music parties. The connection between the drug and music parties is intriguing and forms a basis for further research on the same.
I chose the article for its significance in research on drug abuse among the American youth. The article provides a new dimension about popular drugs abused in the country besides cocaine, heroine, marijuana and alcohol. For example, the article has information on how drugs are adulterated with dangerous substances that are fatal to users. Therefore, the article’s information can harness further research about drug abuse and required interventions.
Works Cited
McKinley, C. James. “Overdoses of ‘Molly’ led to Electric Zoo deaths”. The New York Times. 2013. Web.