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The Resurgence of 'Molly'

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The Techno-Festival "Nature One" held in Germany last year. (dapd/Harald Tittel)
The Techno-Festival "Nature One" held in Germany last year. (dapd/Harald Tittel)

The name "Molly" has been in the news quite a bit in recent weeks. It's the street term for an ecstasy-like drug that seems to be making a resurgence in the club scene.

Three other names that have been in the news are Olivia, Jeffrey and Brittany. That's 20-year-old Olivia Rotondo, a student at the University of New Hampshire; 23-year-old Jeffrey Russ of Rochester, N.Y.; and 19-year-old Brittany Flannigan, a student at Plymouth State University. All three died in the last two weeks from what are believed to have been overdoses of the drug. Olivia and Jeffrey were at the Electric Zoo Music Festival in New York; Brittany was seeing electronic music disc jockey Zedd at the House of Blues in Boston.

Molly has also been connected to several recent non-fatal overdoses, including two this weekend at Boston's Bank of America Pavilion. We discuss the resurgence of the drug and the dangers involved.

Guest

Rita Nieves, director of the Bureau of Addictions Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Support Services for the Boston Public Health Commission

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The Boston Herald: "As the East Coast grapples with a terrifying rash of deadly party drug overdoses, the federal Centers for Disease Control is urging hospitals around the country to start stocking up on the overdose-reversing drug Narcan amid a startling spike in deaths from another designer drug."

The Boston Globe: "Shortly after those overdoses, Boston officials warned that the low-cost drug is seeping into the club and college social scenes. Boston University police have posted information about MDMA on their website, providing definitions and warnings about the dangers of the drug."

The New York Times: "Known for inducing feelings of euphoria, closeness and diminished anxiety, Ecstasy was quickly embraced by Wall Street traders and Chelsea gallerinas. But as demand increased, so did the adulterants in each pill (caffeine, speed, ephedrine, ketamine, LSD, talcum powder and aspirin, to name a few), and by the new millennium, the drug’s reputation had soured."

This segment aired on September 3, 2013.

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