Psychiatrist Pleads With Entertainers To Take Stock Of Their ‘Molly’ Lyrics
In the wake of a rise in the number of adolescents abusing the party drug ‘Molly’, which is being glamorized in song by some Jamaican Trap artists, psychiatrist Dr. Winston De-la-Haye, is pleading with entertainers to be more judicious in their messages, to preserve the sanity and future of impressionable teenagers.
“I am happy for those deejays; they are earning; they think they are doing something good: happy to hear that about them – that they feel they are doing something good and they are popping a pill and they feel good about that. But there are dangers again; the impact is age-dependent,” he explained while speaking with Television Jamaica’s Anthony Miller during a recent episode of The Entertainment Report.
“The impact (of Molly) on a 15 year old is going to be much more than a 25 year old or a 30 year old, and so we really want to reach out to persons who promote this use, like the deejays as you say, to recognise that difference. Use if you want to, and if you need help, come. I am happy to see anyone. But you have an influence on the youngsters and you need to exercise that in a positive way,” Dr. De-La-Haye advised.
Among the artists who have extolled the usage of Molly is Skeng, who teamed up with Navaz on the track Pop Molly with an accompanying video demonstrating how to participate in the act.
Skeng also mentions the usage of Molly in Protocol, his collab with Tommy Lee Sparta, and in his latest release, Vibes. His compatriot Intence also sings about the use of Molly in his song Yahoo Boyz.
Molly is commonly known as ecstasy, and has the scientific name methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), is a synthetic, mind-altering drug with hallucinogenic effects, and is produced in improvised labs and packaged for cultural appeal to youths.
Primarily used for recreational purposes, the drug gives the desired effects of altered sensations, increased energy, empathy, and pleasure. When taken orally, it begins to take effect within 30 to 45 minutes and last for three to six hours. However, it is often accompanied by “severe physical psychological consequences and is potentially lethal” according to medical experts.
The signs of Molly intoxication are increased energy, sense of pleasure, sociability and feeling of euphoria. However, the negative effects may include sweating, muscle tension, increased heart rate, suppressed appetite, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, grinding of teeth, jaw pain, anxiety, panic attacks, tremors and hallucination.
The withdrawal signs include confusion, panic and insomnia, which may last for weeks. Prolonged abuse can result in acute depression, anxiety, paranoia, apathy, distortions in perception and memory and suicidal tendencies.
Molly can also impact the heart and blood via increased heart rate and blood pressure and possible cardiovascular failure induced by high body temperature and dehydration. It can also cause irreparable brain damage, internal bleeding in the lungs, liver damage and jaundice, kidney failure and muscle tension, rigidity and breakdown of skeletal muscle.
A workshop held a few months ago by the St Catherine South Police Division saw police officers expressing dismay about the rate of juvenile delinquency in high schools and the “alarming rate of drug use” including Molly by students who were attending ‘pill parties’ and consuming it in food and drinks.
The Constabulary’s Safe Schools Coordinator for the division, told principals, teachers, guidance counsellors, and deans of discipline from more than 25 schools in Portmore that there was an “increasing use of Molly” by students, which was of serious concern to law enforcement.
In looking at the matter from a sociologist’s viewpoint, Communication Strategist at the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Dennis Brooks, told Miller that Molly appears to be riding a popularity wave, and that “sometimes various forces come along and they have an interest in things becoming popular” and “once it’s catchy, once it’s fad”, there are “people are going to market it in a way to catch on to that trend”.
“We are not targeting people because they sing about a particular thing. We don’t censure people for singing about things. However, we have to ask ourselves and we have to be ahead of the curve, so that we know what is this trend likely to cause? What is this trend a part of? Is this particular drug use trend a part of a bigger trend or part of a bigger community of activity that is going on for instance, while singing about Molly use, people sing about chapping? Do we need to look at things in a broader sub-culture?” he mused.
“I think one of the things that is particularly concerning, is the demographic and popularity and with any wave of popularity of anything, sometimes the more you talk about it, is the more popular it gets… I think what we are seeing differently, is the fact that it is returning to popular culture and returning to popular culture in a significant way. You see it featuring in the music; you see it featuring at parties. Recently in one division we had to lock off a party called ‘Molly Tuesdays,” the former Sociology and Caribbean Studies teacher added.
The use of Molly has been under the radar of the National Council for Drug Abuse and the Constabulary for some time, as, according to reports, it is being used to initiate the sexual ‘battery’ of unsuspecting women, at parties.
Artists such as Popcaan, Bounty Killer, Lincoln 3Dot and Ce’Cile have decried the use of Molly in the recent past, with the latter contending that its use was proliferating, and could get out of control in the near future.
Popular Spanish Town-based music selector Neako Fire, has also warned female party-goers to beware of men offering them drinks, as in a growing number of cases the beverages were being spiked with Molly, by these debauched persons.