Olivia Rotondo is a 20-year old communications student from Providence, Rhode Island. Jeffrey Russ, 23, is a fresh Syracuse University graduate from New York.
What do these two youths have in common? They both attended Electric Zoo, a massive three-day electronic music ‘festival’ held on Randalls Island, in New York. They both let in Molly in their system and they both lost their lives within hours of doing so.
The New York Times reports that another four are critically ill, also with the compliments of Molly.
Albeit popular, Molly is no nice lady. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Molly is the powder or crystal form of MDMA, a synthetic drug commonly known for its inclusion in ecstasy pills, which we hear about in the local news.
Molly takes ecstasy one step further because it is the pure form of MDMA, deriving its street and party name from the purity-driven term ‘molecule’. Scores of international reports state that Molly is one of the most popular chemical drugs in music festivals the world over, making it the perfect ingredient for hazardous environments and fatal cocktails leading to fates similar to Olivia’s and Jeffrey’s in the past days. The two deaths led to the cancellation of the third day of the ‘festival’.
Illicit drug trade is neither red nor blue
Unfortunately, synthetic drugs like Molly are being marketed among youths as ‘safe’ drugs. Obviously, the truth couldn’t be furthest and the suggestion that chemical drugs are safe is utterly ridiculous, something the family and friends of Olivia and Jeffrey came to learn the hard way.
It would also be a mistake to think that Malta is somehow immune to such worrying trends.
When, in the course of my electoral work, I meet parents who have lost their sons or daughters to drugs I find myself facing society’s incapability to preserve the inherent value of life.
When such parents take you through the photo albums of the childhood of the ones they have lost, they do so with a proud memory of what their son meant to them but with a huge question mark on what that life could have flourished in had it been given a chance to survive.
Stop and think how many lives are being lost, how many budding careers are being wasted, how much young talent and vibrant energy is being sacrificed for a mere chemical mixture concocted in some underground laboratory of sorts.
Sadly, the two deaths of Olivia and Jeffrey are not the exception and similar occurrences are increasingly taking place in events like this. Ironically, they are events that are intended to promote happiness but which lead to infinite sadness and grief.
The underlying issue remains the prevailing entertainment culture wherein synthetic (masked ‘recreational’) drugs (and not only) are consumed on weekends: this is absolutely insane.
Taking a chemical substance, which exposes you to so many health risks and causes irreversible brain damage is certainly not ‘recreational’.
If this culture is prevalent among our youth, we should feel responsible to act and strive hard to gradually reverse this vortex of sheer madness. We have to realise that the strongest response to this social deterioration remains holistic education and an increased appreciate of the value of life.
Maybe the time has come for us to collectively shed our partisan colours and realise that illicit drug trade is neither red nor blue and is simply fuelled by the hideous scent of insatiable greed of the few.
Maybe the time has come for us to collectively kick Molly and her friends in the teeth through a united front of incisive political measures and an unprecedented commitment to educating our younger generations that the drugs won’t work.
Claudio Grech is the shadow minister for health.