Wesleyan Says 11 Students Hospitalized After Overdose of Molly

Wesleyan University said 11 students were hospitalized after an apparent mass overdose of the club drug known as Molly.

Seven students were transported to area hospitals on Sunday, while another four went by themselves. At least one student, a sophomore, is in critical condition, Mike Whaley, vice president of student affairs, said in an e-mail to the campus community in Middletown, Connecticut. The university isn’t releasing further information about their condition, according to a spokeswoman.

Molly, a pure form of ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug that produces euphoria, emotional warmth and sensory distortion, making it popular in nightclubs. Its effects are similar to amphetamine, or speed, and the hallucinogen mescaline. In high doses, Molly, or MDMA, interferes with the body’s ability to regulate temperature, causing overheating that can lead to liver, kidney and heart failure, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

While the pills are sold as “pure” MDMA, or ecstasy, they’re frequently cut with other drugs such as PCP, cocaine or bath salts.

A bad batch of Molly was responsible for a wave of overdoses that swept the U.S. East Coast in the summer of 2013, causing deaths in nightclubs in Boston and Washington and at a New York music festival. New England colleges at the time, including Boston University, warned students about its use.

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