“Molly” is Not Purer Than “Ecstasy” and There is Data to Prove It

The terms “molly” and “ecstasy” are oftentimes used to describe different forms of the same drug: MDMA. Molly is a street term used to identify powder or crystal MDMA, while ecstasy is used to identify pressed MDMA that comes in pills of various shapes, sizes, and colors. While this vernacular is used to differentiate the form of the drug, molly and ecstasy are (supposed to be) the same substance. Some people think that getting molly, or powdered MDMA, means it is purer than ecstasy, or pressed MDMA, as it is commonly believed that an ecstasy pill contains more adulterants than...

July 10, 2017Read more...

Let’s Celebrate Freedom When Drugs Are Decriminalized (at the Least)

Today, we celebrate America’s 241st birthday. As many would say, we are celebrating freedom. Freedom and liberty and democracy--all the things that make America great (again?). But, while white, educated, middle-to-upper class adults enjoy fireworks, BBQ, and drinking themselves into a dazed but legal stupor, we need to pause and take a moment to reflect on the things that make America not-so-great. Like, say, the criminalization of drug use, which through the perpetuation of the Drug War, has ravished communities and proliferated the opioid epidemic. America incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, and drug laws are...

July 4, 2017Read more...

It’s science: Methamphetamine and Adderall produce identical effects

On the spectrum of stigma associated with virtually all illicit drug use, methamphetamine is definitely on the high end, along with heroin and crack cocaine. We all remember seeing the billboards and television ads plastered all over with fear-inciting images of pale and sickly people with missing teeth and sores all over their bodies. The advertisements warned: “Meth. Not Even Once.” “These types of media campaigns neither prevent nor decrease the use of the drug; nor do they provide any real facts about the effects of meth,” states Dr. Carl Hart. “They succeed only in perpetuating false assumptions.” In fact, Dr. Carl...

July 3, 2017Read more...