Four people remained hospitalized Monday — two critically ill, two in serious condition — following a weekend overdose cluster involving Wesleyan University students and, apparently, a drug called "Molly."
Health experts and police were working to pinpoint the source of those drugs and confirm the precise chemical that caused 10 students and two visitors at the Connecticut college to require emergency medical attention early Sunday.
Molly might be a mystery to some Americans. But millions are believed to have used one form of it recreationally, experts say. Here are five crucial questions about what may sound like a harmless drug — but a substance with possibly life-threatening side effects.
What is Molly, and what is it not?
Many people have heard of the drug ecstasy. It's synthetic and, at least in the lab, it's known as MDMA, short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Ecstasy gained popularity at nightclubs in 1980s and '90s. The pills gave users the euphoric high of amphetamines and the psychedelic effects of hallucinogens.
Molly, experts say, contains all MDMA in a crystalline powder contained in a capsule. So, it's a concentrated form of ecstasy, but users don't always know if it's truly "pure." Like all synthetic drugs, it could be diluted with other psychogenic substances.
