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Yesterday, one of the biggest EDM events in the US shut down a day early as a result of 2 deaths and several critical injuries. It has been reported that the deaths were related to the ubiquitous rave drug MDMA, commonly referred to as Molly or ecstasy. Having attended Electric Zoo these past two years, I can tell you there were many significant improvements from the last installment. Water was readily available, and I noticed an increase in crowd control and medical tents throughout the grounds. However, other important details were neglected or otherwise inconsistent with Made Event’s claim to rank the safety and well-being of festival-goers as their top priority. Security was much less stringent, and vendor tip jars with signs reading ‘Tip if you love Molly!‘ were quite frankly inappropriate. 
The loss of life has undoubtedly struck our scene before. There have been deaths at events such as HARD Summer and Ultra Music Festival. But with two deaths striking a large Labor Day weekend festival in the heart of NYC, we find ourselves in an especially difficult situation that will further stigmatize the dance music scene. Unfortunately, these tragedies seem to be simultaneously uniting and stratifying the dance music community. Many people have united in lamenting the loss of two young lives, and taken this as an opportunity to remind each other of the importance safer drug use or promoting abstinence. Meanwhile, many aggressively complained about the cancellation, demanded a refund, or asked, “Why should the deaths of two people have to ruin everyone else’s fun?‘ I have even seen blatant hatred and disrespect towards the two who lost their lives, and towards anyone who uses drugs recreationally. That’s not what our scene is about, and that’s not the kind of behavior that will allow our scene to learn and grow from this adversity.
One of the biggest issues is the inconsistency in behaviors toward drug use in the EDM world. Parts of our rave culture glorify “Molly.” To make matters worse, significant pop culture icons, such as Madonna, have been actively promoting the term. Since then, countless companies started selling merchandise to further popularize the idea, marketing phrases such as “Where’s Molly?” and “Keep Calm and Find Molly.” Now, Molly is the key term used to refer to MDMA. Initially, only people on the inside knew what “Molly” meant, but that’s no longer the case; countless mainstream news reports and articles later, everyone from your boss to your grandparents know its meaning.
What’s even worse than the glorification and commercialization of the term “Molly,” is the supposed “zero-tolerance policy” at these events where “Molly culture” is so obviously prevalent. Event organizers and large festivals do not condone drug use in any form, and yet security starts giving up on bag checks, and allows drug imagery to exist throughout the festival (i.e. drug-related apparel, etc.) Tommie Sunshine brought up an interesting point on Twitter: ‘Our culture is also steeped in alcoholism & prescription drug addiction which is accepted for adults, BUT FOR KIDS…‘ It’s unfortunate that the media loves to focus on the EDM scene for its “Molly problems”, while drugs permeate numerous other music and entertainment scenes. Due to this, drug culture has grown, but has taken a turn for the worse because no one actually talks about it.
So where do we go from here? I have a few suggestions, but of course they are easier said than done. Nonetheless, I believe they could make a difference in the long run.
1. Increased Drug Education
Many of us know about D.A.R.E. from grade school, but once we reach high school and college, there is persistent peer pressure and a heavy glorification of drinking and drug culture. There are fewer opportunities for continuing education on the true nature of these substances and the effects they have on our bodies. What you introduce into your body is ultimately a personal decision, but one can make a more informed choice if knowledge is readily available. There are certainly resources on the internet (i.e. Erowid, Pill Reports, Wikipedia) that can lead to more informed decisions, but not everyone knows how to interpret the plethora of information or is aware that the information is available to them in the first place. Perhaps festivals and event staff can move toward promoting drug education as opposed to the strict zero-tolerance policy (forcing everything under the radar), although there is certainly a fine line between educating and condoning such activities. Constant reminders of drug safety at events could throw people’s spur-of-the-moment decisions in perspective. Tommie Sunshine brought an excellent suggestion to Twitter by having an “Ecstasy PSA” play in between sets to remind people of the dangers of certain drugs. Also at Electric Zoo, staff members came onto all stages and told fans to stay hydrated and to look out for people in need. Sometimes simple reminders can go a long way.
2. Age Restrictions
Many large events already enforce age limits (16+, 18+, or even 21+). Age restrictions at large events can prevent underage consumption of alcohol on festival grounds, as well as prevent event organizers from essentially being responsible for mass groups of individuals who are not legally adults. Also, from my personal experience, festivals that impose age restrictions can effectively create a more responsible and mature environment. At the same time, this is not to say that younger folks are more prone to unsafe drug use than older folks; evidently, the two who lost their lives this weekend were in their early twenties. However, as a general rule, age restrictions can have a positive impact on the atmosphere at music events.
3. Tighter Security
While no one will tell you they want TSA taking over festivals, more highly enforced security could save lives by preventing particularly hazardous substances from entering festival grounds. As stated before, the extremely lax security at Electric Zoo was simply worrisome. On the other hand, heightened security often means longer wait times and security officers could potentially abuse their authority.
4. Chemical Testing
The fact of the matter is, people take drugs. It’s not our place to tell individuals what they should or should not do to their bodies. But if you must partake, at least be fully aware of what you’re taking. It’s difficult, if not nearly impossible to discern the purity and origins of these substances without legitimate chemical testing. While it’s not always easy to plan ahead, the extra time, money, and effort it takes to test your substances could very well mean the difference between life and death for you and your friends. We do not condone the use of illegal substances, but if you must use, please consider chemical testing kits. Click here for more information.
What we need to learn from this is that communication and transparency are key. Drugs (and “Molly” in particular) are not going away. Instead of avoiding open discussion and thus creating a dangerous environment for users of these substances, we should focus on creating a safe and knowledgeable community, that supports and cares for each of its members. Ultimately, that’s what we’re about; this is a place where one should feel comfortable talking about the most taboo of topics without fear of judgment or persecution.
I understand that many of these suggestions are much easier said than done, and that they won’t singlehandedly pull our scene out of this rut. However, something needs to be done. When at these festivals, please remember this: the most important aspects of these events are the music and the people. Many attend these shows for the pure euphoria the music alone gives them. While some see an EDM event as an opportunity to overload on mind-altering substances, the fact of the matter is that the scene does not exist without the music, and the scene does not exist without each other.
Additional Reading
Blog Post: Kaskade: No One Knows Who We Are
http://thisisadynasty.tumblr.com/post/42312760192/no-one-knows-who-we-are
Documentary: The Chemical Generation
http://news.beatport.com/blog/2013/02/11/the-10-best-house-documentaries-of-all-time/
false on points 2 & 3. on age restrictions: just cause someone is 21+ doesn’t mean they know how to handle molly correctly dosage-wise. I have some 18-19 year old friends who are more mature than some 30 year olds I know. so that’s a loaded generalization that isn’t fair or valid. as far as point 3: you are really trying to have the tsa at festivals? you know what will happen then? a BUNCH MORE PEOPLE will be taking massive doses BEFORE going to the event…and thus ending up dropping at the event still because of taking too much because of your “tighter security” suggestion. however, both points 1 & 4 I wholeheartedly agree with.
I recently saw a Nike shirt that said, “Just Dab It”: referring to “dabbing” or the popular way to use Molly. I popularization and general acceptance of drug use by major corporations in their advertisements is one of the reasons young kids are dying at these festivals…not to mention completely unprofessional and un-classy of Nike..
I agree with most of what was said, & the low security was worrysome. All you really had to do was say what was in your bag, hold it open, and they’d let you in with just a glance & an okay. I didn’t have anything I shouldn’t have had, but it was troubling to see how easy it could’ve been.
I thought this was a great article. I totally agree with your last point in #4.
A large problem is that tester kits are illegal to have. A federal offence in fact. How the scene’s beautiful people are expected to stay safe when finding that safety is illegal in itself… Maybe more of a direct approach from dance safe with handing out free tester kits with even only 10 tests per kit instead of the usually 150 in a kit would even help safe a few people from ruining or losing there lives.
Good article.
The seamless transition of rave culture being mainstream among teenagers and young adults as opposed to more of an “underground or alternative” cultural norm in our society is proving to be more difficult than the purists of the scene could have ever imagined. People have been raving for almost a generation now and the most commonly misconstrued aspect of the “scene” as most refer to it is the impact that stereotypes have had on it. As mentioned in the above article, merchandise and mainstreaming of EDM music events has becoming a booming industry within the last 5 years. Festivals and shows have sprang up in tremendous and borderline uncontrollable fashion ranging from large festival gatherings such as Bonaroo and Coachella, Electric Zoo and Daisy Carnival as well, some of which have been around for more than a decade now, to mid-size ones such as Camp Bisco, Summer Camp, and Electric Forest. And in the past 2-3 years, the emergence of smaller festivals that are cheaper and have less of the “mainstream” EDM artists but to the best of their abilities provide a more affordable alternative to the larger ones that can cost over $1000 dollars or more, which is hardly something most late-teen early twentysomethings can afford on a college student budget. These festivals specifically from my own personal and investigative inquiry, have determined that these allow for the “most unsafe and monitored distribution and consumption of “hard drugs” (mainly reference MDMA (Molly), LSD (Acid), Cocaine, Marijuana, and varies other forms of prescription medications and aerosol products that people use a method to get high. To once again reference both this article and the commonly culturally understood reference that the music festival scene in even hearkening back to its roots in the 1960’s in the days of our parent’s journey’s through Woodstock and the original Burning Man, has been known as a scene that allows for drugs to be recreational and to those who are deeply involved in the scene and genuinely use them for spiritual and self-enlightenment purposes (for which this topic can promote an entire other endeavor into the re-evaluation of certain types of drugs in our society).
Being at a music festival is truly unlike any other experience someone can explore in their lifetime.Coming from a completely average suburban lifestyle and casually being introduced to the music and culture upon my completion of high school, I was genuinely in shock to see that this can actually exist in the first place. A place where sometimes over 100,000 people or more can gather together in a weekend and weed can be smoked like cigarettes, drugs and paraphernalia are passed around in the open like chips at a poker table, and countless young adults and parading around camp sites in all sorts of outfits (or lack their of), and no one stops them? I seemingly could not imagine how or why this was possible, with sometimes cops even being present on sight, but then I began to dig a little deeper.
Our society is going through the most amount of change as we’ve seen in recent history. Modern technology and globalization have taken the forefront in terms of how we communicate and receive information Our generation is processing more than ever before at double the speed. All aspects of our lives have been affected ranging from the IPhone that never is out of sight for more than 2-3 minutes for most of us, to laptops and other forms of communication that make information at our finger tips and exposes us to more than ever before. Those of us who go to music festivals, use them as therapy in a sense to release from the bonds of our modern world and relive a time in which we are all strangers come together for a common cause, as well as relishing in the experiences that life can provide is in our youth which will form the memories that will last us our lifetime. Rave and festival culture is about so much more than the incredible and transcending music production that has come about in recent times, but about our individual journeys of self-discovery, and personal enlightenment into our “future selves” during a personal and global time of transition into a new era.
Drugs allow these bonds and experiences to be modified and amplified. As someone who has done his homework on the history, distribution, and sale and production of certain recreational drugs, it is easy to understand why these drugs have become a staple in the rave culture. The stereotype is simple, thousands of seemingly mindless people in a crowd full of loud music and bright lights destroying their brains and futures by becoming zombies to their surroundings and having that affect carried out through their return to civilization. Wrong.
Yes, drugs can be harmful and even deadly at times, but the people who go to raves and music festivals are so far and polar opposite from a homeless junkie on a city street or a deranged meth addict in the midwest. Of curse there are a few of these types that stumble their way into festivals, but they are by far the minority and by far not the subject of anyone’s good times or “good vibes” as we commonly refer to it. Most people are from the same lifestyle, background, and can relay their experiences to each other by sharing in the intensity of the moment during a performance, or deeper more sophisticated conversations back at the camp sights late at night. Here, more personal discovery and realizations about the world around me and the things that brought us here both on an individual and total historic perspective than I would have ever realized had a stayed on a more “typical path.”
If used int he right way and for the right reasons, music festivals can provide a platform for us to express and explore ourselves as a generation in ways we never thought imaginable. This way of expression and traveling through this critical part of our lives is going to happen, whether we choose to do drugs or not and where we choose to do them. The music festivals do not take people who would not be doing this normally, of course accounting for the “exceptions to every rule” idea, and create drug users, they take people who would be open to this path already and give them a place to explore themselves that creates a world that totally captures and astounds you in both beauty and curiosity, something that our parents and politicians unexposed to it simply would not understand.
The bottom line is, we need to be smart. We need to STOP the sale and distribution of”fake or tampered” drugs at these events. It creates chaos and uncertainty both in the minds of the festival goers, and those outside looking in. Drugs need to be monitored and tested. The promotional teams and companies that sponsor these events need to give themselves a hard look in the mirror and realize what goes on at their events and how to ensure the maximum amount of safety. If raves are going to live on and the true appreciation of the culture can continue, death and tragedy cannot be linked to the scene. We need to fulfill our desire to personify the messages of our greatest leaders and preach a method of “one love” and looking out for our neighbor that we learn we share so much in common with as people. Those who choose a selfish and greedy path and harm others with their complete disregard for them or their families, should not be allowed to exist in society in general, never mind at music festivals. If we can truly come together and clean up the scene and make those who truly understand the purpose and meaning of the rave culture, the scene can survive. If the negative imaging and death toll continues to rise at just a few more events, we could lose something that has shown millions of people an experience that will shape them for the rest of their lives as well as serve a stepping stone into adulthood and creates a more sophisticated form of self through the connections and experiences shared at music festivals.
Totally agree with everything here. This year’s EZoo was one of the best run events I have been to in recent memory, everything from the water availability (paid, free, and from dudes spraying the crowd down), Ferry scheduling and rides, food trucks, and 21 and over wristbands being inspected pretty thoroughly…..Security was definitely worrisome however, as it was easy to bring bags in. I really can’t totally fault the festival for that though because at the end of the day, it’s pretty hard to catch everyone who is bringing something in, especially with drugs that are fairly easy to conceal. People would have gotten past security in no matter what, and EZoo did everything they could to help out when things started turning south…help stations, Live on stage announcements and water areas were made very clear…. This is a culture problem way more than it is the responsibility of the festival, but hopefully using some of the suggestions here, and perhaps no longer promoting terms like molly or allowing it to be so prevalent in future years will help it return successfully and safely.
100% on board with education. Drugs may be a taboo subject but ignoring the fact that people do them and will always continue to do them doesn’t make the problem go away. I’ve seen booths set up at festivals, such as Camp Bisco, with “Bunk Police,” who will test whatever you have for you, along with selling kits for $5. Really don’t know the legalities involved here but the fact is whether or not these resources are available drugs will still be used. I won’t go on a tangent here but obviously the problem is a LOT of the stuff that gets passed around at these festivals isn’t real, AKA sold as “Molly” but could be ANYTHING. Do what you want but educate yourself and stay safe. I’d SO much rather see info flyers/test kits etc. being readily available at festivals than having people my age who have barely lived their lives DIE because of a stupid mistake. Also, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Heightened security might result in a few less drug issues at these shows but it won’t get rid of them, ever. What happened at E Zoo was tragic, and despite being upset and disappointed about not being able to attend my last day I can’t even begin to imagine what the families of these kids are going through.
I hope this comment isn’t what you guys consider immature.
This article talks about solutions, but doesn’t offer any. The article just kinda jumps around the issue, pretending to be sympathetic, but ultimately not telling people what they need to hear: DON’T DO MOLLY. Molly is an extremely dangerous drug. It can damage your brain severely or even kill you. There is no way to continue having it at shows and not expect people to suffer averse consequences. That’s the only education people need.
Probably the only viable option (and not one mentioned in the article) is to legalize Molly and let corporations manufacture it. That’s the best way to regulate it. There would still be overdoses though.
Age restrictions? Anyone of any age can die.
Tighter security? Since when does adding more cops ever help?
Yes, people are going to do what they want to do, and chemical testing is fine, but not everyone is going to use that.
There is no way to make this better other than the fact that people have to get more responsible on their own. If the writer of this article wants people to become responsible, then he should have titled it, “STOP DOING MOLLY!”
1. buy test kit from bunk police.
2. make sure plenty of water is at hand.
3. eat something at least once a day.
4. look out for your people and others.
5. don’t tolerate people selling fake shit.
This is going off on a tangent, but I’m very curious: why is it being so publicized about the two people that passed away at EZoo (all due respect to their families), but no one even heard about any of the Ultra ones? On Saturday of weekend 1 alone, cops were talking about 2 people that OD’d that night and were found under the main stage, yet that never made any news. There was also a lot of publicity about the 3 people at the Zedd show in Boston, etc. It seems that people are getting more and more interested on the topic now and everyone is bashing “the scene,” but the truth is this has been happening for years, and at the end of the day it’s a matter of personal choice. This is the Woodstock of our generation.
How’s about being honest and just saying “Listen – this shit isn’t acceptable at events. Period.”
All the advice and “this is what we should do” talk seems to revolve around the question of how do we make “molly culture” (as you describe it) safer? How do we make it safer for people to poison themselves? Of course we’re criticized in the media. Where most sane/rational people would say – distance yourself from that shit, start sending the message that this isn’t acceptable (Even if you don’t mean it, which let’s be honest – we don’t).
Instead we try to say “oh no – the drugs are fine…. we just need to educate people more” Are you fucking serious?
Don’t even get me started about THIS GUY being the voice of reason on the subject.
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/468415/Tommie+Sunshine.jpg
No offense to Tommy – but when that’s one of the first images that comes back when you google his name – perhaps he shouldn’t be the spokesperson for clean living right now. I can only imagine the NYPost article with THAT picture, next to a headline about “DJ makes the case for responsible drug use”. That’ll go over real fucking well.
I’m sorry, but this article is b.s. Molly is a staple to the EDM scene; just as much as hard liquor is to rock n’ roll and pot is to rap music. Two kids dying at a music festival is a tragedy, but the promoters are not responsible, the artists are not responsible, and all the other people who mention “molly” in association to EDM (such as Madonna) are not responsible–these kids are responsible. I’m sure people die in drunk driving accidents after rock concerts, and no one is screaming at the rock music industry saying that rock songs that mention liquor are ruining their culture; its the person’s fault for driving home. These kids knew they were taking drugs, and they did it wrong. If they didn’t know what they were doing or it was their first time, they should have done some research beforehand and respected the fact that they were putting potentially dangerous chemicals into their body for a desired effect. Better safe than sorry. The most ludicrous part of this article is suggesting to have better security. I can only imagine the shit storm that would come up at these events if kids were getting hardcore searched and having hundreds of dollars of drugs confiscated/getting arrested. Also, the promoters don’t want people associating their events with getting cavity-searched and going to jail for the drugs they’re carrying. While I understand these issues are insignificant in the light of two peoples’ deaths, that’s the reality of the situation. This article does not provide realistic solutions. Just half-ass b.s.
It’s incredibly sad that these people died for such a pointless thing. The main take-away here shouldn’t be more drug education for early 20-somethings (who should know this by now) or irrelevant age restrictions (when clearly anyone can die of a drug overdose at any age); it’s to be smart with what you choose to do.
Couldn’t agree more. People’s stupid decisions ruin the fun for us all.
go out to blow out.