Finding Molly: Dancing, Drugs, and Death. A Rebuttal.
 After reading Shane Morris's article on Molly and it's connection with EDM, a few things came to mind: First Thoughts:
The article is written well, and the theme drives it from point to point. The anecdotes are interesting and exciting and the personal insight is impressive. But that is where it begins to fall apart.
 Second Opinion:
            Mr. Morris is using personal experience and his "life as a drug dealer" as sources, but little else. And since that is both limited in scope and mostly hearsay, that serves as weak credibility for the basis of denouncing an entire phenomenon. The article comes off as an opportunist covering a hot topic. There is no conclusion, remedial outlook, or, dare I say, purpose to the article, other than defamation on a vague and non-comprehensive basis. His reasoning is limited and is based solely on his own perspective.
 âWhat?â You may be wondering. He has personal insight into an elusive underground phenomenon. His sharing of personal stories sheds light on an otherwise dark topic. He knows what heâs talking about because heâs been there. But does he? Letâs take a look.
"First things first: MDMA and "Molly" are two different things."
Allow me to present: Mr. Shane Morris as "The Scientist".
           While this is not entirely false, it is not true, either. Molly is used as the "slang" term for molecular MDMA. While this terminology implies that "molly" is pure MDMA (the implication is evident by the name alone) it does not always mean it is pure. Shady things happen to chemicals between the time they are made and the time they reach the consumer (i.e. they are cut with other agents). The same is true of anything. Marijuana can be laced with PCP, does that mean marijuana is synonymous with PCP? My car could be made with Mexican parts even though it is an American-made Chevy. My chicken from Whole Foods may use gluten as filler even thought it says it is organic. By saying Molly, one means to say pure MDMA. How it turns out in reality is a case-by-case study, not something you can broadly generalize into saying Molly is never MDMA. Sometimes it is pure MDMA. Shane needs to explain this. His brief definition of molly is inaccurate. Not all Chevy's are made in Mexico, not all chicken is gluten, and molly certainly doesn't mean meth.
 "If that young woman hadn't taken Molly, I know for a fact she'd still be alive today. "
Mr. Shane Morris, as "The Doctor".
 MDMA, like the marijuana Shane describes as causing only âa headacheâ, does not cause death. Meth can cause death. Heroine can cause death. Cocaine can cause death. These are agents cut with MDMA. Shane mentioned this as an introductory point, but insofar as to say that "all molly is bad molly". Is "all molly bad molly"? I would be cautious to make such a sweeping statement. Especially for such a topic. If Shane is wrong, that could lead people to believe something that is wholly untrue, such as Shane's omnipotent knowledge of his friend's cause of death. Heat can cause death. Dehydration can cause death. Over hydration can cause death. This is not to say that drugs did not play a role in leading to her death. But to attribute death to one and only one thing is to demonize a cause that may not have been the sole factor. Shane mentions this, as well: "so if someone dies at Tomorrow World from a drug overdose, it will more than likely be attributed to heat stroke, or another heat-related problem". But only as to discredit it....with no sources, or facts to speak of.
  âEDM doesn't exist without club drugs, because a majority of the culture and event is built around "letting go" and "rolling" at events. Secondly, the entirety of the EDM economy was built upon the complex relationships between drug dealers and promoters.â Shane Morris. The sociologist.
            According to Shane, the electronic dance world revolves around molly, because it is about âletting go.â A shocking amount of alcohol is consumed at professional sporting events. Would one make the same argument about football, and how it canât possibly exist without Budweiser? The forth of July is a high time for alcohol consumption as well. Without beer, would democracy crumble and the economy fail? I would surely hope not. If there were no popcorn at movie theaters, would people stop going to movies?
Correlation does not equal causation, and while drugs may be prevalent in festival atmospheres, electronic music does not exist for the sole purpose of drug distribution and consumption. Drugs are not limited to these events, and these events are certainly not bound by the amount of drugs they have to offer. Is it me, or does it feel like Shane is forgetting that there is music involved? By making a conclusion such as EDM not being able to exist without a chemical accomplice, you are not only concluding a falsity, you are discrediting the work that producers, DJâs, promoters, event staff, lighting producers, stage designers, and record labels are putting in to make electronic music a reality.
 "$112,000 - gross. Of course, he probably had to pay police, security, someone connected to the promoter, a few people to sell it, bribes, etc. I'll assume he'll still clear $100,000"
Shane as âThe Economist.â
 Well, Iâll assume that he got caught by the police. Or that he only sold moon rock. But that would just be me assuming things. Molly may be an underground phenomenon, but it is not unobservable. Perhaps finding a credible source and then writing an article would make for less supposition. Your prognosis of the distribution is based on a conjecture that you arbitrarily make, then quickly uphold as fact. I wasnât the brightest kid in pre-calculus, but I understand that conjectures are only guesses until there is proof, of which there is none.
  "We live in an extremely litigious society, and few people are going to admit they took drugs with their friends, and then their friend died."
Shane as âthe psychologist.â
 Shane is taking on a lot of topics, which, while ambitious and laudable, is proving to be a bit too much for the limited scope he has, as one, single individual. While I do not blame him for having a perspective, I do blame him for attempting to generalize the perspectives of others. Care to site that statement? I prefer MLA format, but honestly just a hyperlink to anything other than your own opinion would be helpful.
 And finally, Shane as the comedian.
 This may just be me being critical, but I do not think you can say "his father returned and handed Brandon and me each a $50 Chili's gift card - which actually sorta made me wish I had let the kid die, but seriously though - Chili's is the worst thing to ever happen to anyone, ever," after talking about someone you barely knew seizing and being taken to the hospital in fear of his imminent death.
  Final thoughts:
 This article is well written and is easy to read. It is both enticing and entertaining. It is not, however, credible. While the stories in it may be true, the conclusions are not. It concludes falsities without factual basis, and as such, it is threatening the existence of music festivals, on the premise of what Shane has deduced to be an uncontrollable and knotted relationship between music and drugs. Not only does it make bold accusations and ill-based causal relationships between Molly and the degeneration of our youth via electronic music, it is being publishing during a time when it would be politically advantageous to believe so. Politicians need nothing more than a scapegoat as simple as drugs to attack and take the heat off of the real problems of our generation. âDrugs? Ah yes. Drugs are the problem! Letâs ban events! Thatâll show the voters that Iâm cracking down on the problems in America!â It might as well bring Al-Qaeda in the discussion just to cover all the bases. Not only does the article misinform, it misguides its readership into making incorrect causal relationships between the death of young adults and electronic music. Correlation does not mean causality, and without evidence of a causal relationship between drugs and electronic dance music, Shaneâs conclusions are invalid. Attempting to tackle âmolly against world youthâ as a case study only proves to be beyond the scope of Shaneâs personal experiences.
Maybe one source would do this article good. Or maybe it just needs a rebuttal. -Garrett
