Molly. The easiest way to discuss this on an editorial level is to not speak about it. It's a nickname for the pure form of MDMA, and as the active ingredient in Ecstasy has been prevalent in the dance music scene since I've been partying. And surely years before that. 15 years ago, ecstasy pills were undoubtedly cut with random uppers and downers, as no two pills provided the same experience. You were rolling the dice when taking one of these pills. A legitimate source for molly provides a cleaner high, and now it's not uncommon to see 'moon rocks' (slightly crushed portions of a crystallized rock of molly), or pure crystals that you need to crush up yourself. Of course there is the powder form.
And before you call me a prude, I've done my fair share of the drug (sorry mom). I have no problem with MDMA, or those that use it. I have a problem with the lack of education, the fake drugs being sold, the money made on the back of marketing this drug, and the venues and promoters that are slammed for unpreventable actions that happen in their venues. There is an article from the LA times where 14 young people are listed that died of some kind of complication due to drug use at raves. They also decided to also list the events these youth were at, as if it were the fault of the promoter or club. Insomniac doesn't sell drugs. They don't put the drugs in kids' mouths. And they certainly can't do a body cavity search on tens of thousands of kids or drug test kids on their way into their events. They have banned "gloving" at their events, as it relates to a drug culture that they want no affiliation with. The only thing that they could possibly do is test the drugs that kids are purchasing so people are aware of what they are taking. I'm not sure if there's any way to do so without looking like you're promoting drug use and raising a red flag.
And as Insomniac gets slammed for their events, nobody seems to be mentioning the full-blown promotion of molly in the EDM community that is creating profit with no ramifications. Donkong released the Molly Grit EP, which was picked up by Diplo's Mad Decent blog. Madonna released her MDNA album in 2012, and made a public call for the drug when performing at Ultra (we applaud Deadmau5's subsequent slam of her actions... there's something wrong about a 50-year-old mother promoting drugs to kids). Cedric Gervais' "Molly" has seen four million plays on YouTube. All of the "Have You Seen Molly" t-shirts being sold on Amazon. You can find 'Keep Calm and Find Molly' hoodies, or "I Love Molly" t-shirts. Companies are seeing drug use as a market, and entrepreneurs are capitalizing off of the popularity of this drug.
We've been sitting here shaking our heads the whole time, but the move that infuriated me enough to write this article is a company in Chicago selling bottled water, and they actually have the balls to call themselves Mollywatr. They claim to be "uncut" spring water, and "the perfect compliment for your EDM experience." Their marketing tool seems to be twerk videos with their brand splayed across the middle (you can't fault anyone for attempting to market one unoriginal thought with another, I suppose) that utilize what we can only guess is unlicensed tracks that we imagine they didn't bother to get cleared. And I have no clue if they're the ones that coined the term "Molly Is Better Than Coke" (using the same logo that Coca-Cola does, to continue the lack of independent thought in marketing), but they are certainly selling t-shirts with this slogan on it. Who in the fuck thought this was a sensible idea?
To promote a company named after a drug is simply foolish, reckless, and downright thirsty. It's like promoting sex without using a condom, or driving without mentioning how to use a seatbelt. People do drugs. Drugs are a part of rave culture. These are undeniable facts. But calling your product "Mollywatr" is in poor taste. There's 1000 other ways that they could market your product to the rave culture, and somehow decided to choose the worst possible one. The one that proves that they know nothing about rave culture or its history. The one that shows a lack of consideration for these kids and adult influence on their decision making. The one that shows that people will do anything for a dollar. I'm quite sure they won't fold the company or rename their product over an article. But I urge them to show some consideration to the broad audience, and ask themselves what good is being done for our culture when they look at the name of their brand.
