Experts Warn That Ecstasy Sold In US Is Less Pure Than In Europe

Familiar with ecstasy and molly? You should probably be a bit more wary: a recent report by The Guardian suggests that these drugs sold on this side of the Atlantic are less pure than their European counterparts. The risks inherent between popping MDMA pills in the United States and Europe differ greatly; European markets are flooded with high-potency pills while Americans often ingest powder or pills with little or no MDMA.

The Guardian notes that “anywhere between 30% and 60% of what is being sold as molly or ecstasy in the USA is not in fact MDMA”. Pills in the US are commonly laced with synthetic MDMA replacements such as methylone, butylone and ethylone (nicknamed bath salts). The variety of stimulants that can be included in ecstasy also tamer substances, including caffeine and aspirin. EcstasyData, an independent laboratory pill testing program, found 111 different substances within 528 samples of ecstasy in a 2015 study.

“We don’t really see MDMA any more,” said a Drug Enforcement Agency representative. “You might have a little MDMA in there, but we are seeing a whole slew of other synthetic drugs.”