A laser show fills the dark hall and the thumping bass rattles the windows. This is the scene of a typical electronic dance music concert, a breeding ground for the ecstasy-like drug known as Molly.

Dr. Jonathan Burns, attending emergency physician at Mary Greeley Medical Center, says the drug, officially known as 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, and ecstasy are closely related.  

“The difference between ecstasy and Molly is probably more semantic than anything. Both drugs are forms of MDMA,” Burns said in an email interview.

Molly is thought to be responsible in the death of four East Coast college students, according to ABC News.  

While the club drug is most widely known on the East and West coasts, its popularity is growing in the Midwest.

Andrea Dickerson, residential program coordinator at Youth and Shelter Services, said her department, which deals with 12- to 18-year-olds, has had a few reported cases of Molly use.

“We haven’t seen many cases, although we have seen a few,” Dickerson said. “It’s a slower push to get into the Midwest.”

Of these cases, Dickerson said residents reported trying it once, and the experience was unpleasant.

Made by street chemists, Molly becomes extremely dangerous to the user because he or she may never know what the drug was cut with, Burns said.

“These drugs can produce an initial high or euphoria but can also induce psychosis, fatal arrhythmias and heart attacks,” Burns said. 

While Molly creeps its way into the bass-rumbling night clubs of the Midwest, Burns and Dickerson said education will continue to be its best combatant.

“The biggest precaution that we take is educating the public and our patients that these are really unpleasant and dangerous drugs,” Burns said. “Some studies show that repeated use can actually ‘burn-out’ certain dopamine and serotonin sensitive areas of the brain permanently, resulting in severe depression and loss of the ability to feel pleasure.”