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Simplepowa
In Pursuit of Knowledge


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 4,310
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Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone
#18903381 - 09/28/13 04:13 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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By J Leo on September 14, 2013
mdma
According to the New York Post, toxicology exams for Jeffery Russ, 23, and Olivia Rotondo, 20, have been completed and cause of death has been confirmed. While Rotondo’s death is attributed to “acute intoxication after taking MDMA”, Russ’s death was due to a “fatal mix of MDMA and methylone”. The death of Matthew Rybarczyk, 20, this past June at a festival on Governor’s Island has also been confirmed as an overdose of methylone. The designer drug’s presence has increased substantially over the past year and so has the subsequent damage. What’s most frightening is that the majority of festival/club goers have no idea what this substance is let alone know that they may have taken it thinking it was “Molly” a.k.a. MDMA in crystal form. According to a feature in Mixmag, “In March this year, the Miami Herald reported that in just 12 months there had been a staggering 16-fold increase in seizures of methylone, while MDMA seizures had dropped off a cliff. In 2011, Miami police reports show drugs sold as Molly were seized and submitted for testing 207 times. The overwhelming majority – 190 – contained MDMA, while just 17 contained methylone. But in 2012, seizures were up to 337, a 63 per cent rise. Testing proved that 278 samples contained methylone, and just 59 contained MDMA.”
So, what is methylone? Methylone is a a synthetic empathogen that has a similar chemical structure to MDMA. When taken, the analogue has similar effects to the body such as feelings of euphoria and an increase in sociability, heart rate, and body temperature. However, it’s often been described as a tweekier high than pure MDMA and does not last as a long so the user finds themselves taking larger quantities to sustain the same high. Because methylone use in human history is short and studies have not been conducted, long term effects and its overall toxicity are yet to be seen.
So, why the increase, and why is molly/ecstasy being cut with compounds like methylone and MDPV? The answer is simple economics. When there is an overwhelming demand for a product and a large income to be made by supplying that demand, people will go to great lengths to be the supplier. When MDMA is increasingly hard to find and insanely expensive, suppliers are going to find cheaper chemicals that mimic the effects of MDMA. According to Mixmag, a kilo of methylone can be purchased for $3,000 to $5,000 which is 10 times cheaper than the same quantity of MDMA. And, when it is impossible to visually spot the difference between pure crystal MDMA and methylone, drug dealers are going to peddle the cheaper stuff at real stuff price thus further increasing their profit margin. Also, by simply changing one molecule in the chemical structure, an analogue is created and is not covered under current drug laws until lawmakers play catch up. Until then, it makes the legal prosecution of the use and sale difficult. This is the case of methylone in New York State. Although bath salts are illegal in New York, and methylone is federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug, it is yet to be covered under the bath salts ban within the state.
So, why is MDMA more expensive and hard to find? Simple. Because it’s illegal. The primary tactics of the U.S.’s War on Drugs is apprehension of supply and suppliers. Decades of battles between law enforcement and drug dealers, billions of taxpayer dollars to fund that battle, and continued prevalence of drugs in the U.S. clearly shows that only addressing the supply chain side of the economic equation and ignoring the deeply entrenched demand is a recipe for failure. So, confiscation of safrole oil, the precursor for MDMA, increases its scarcity and drives up the prices. The end result is what is happening now. Pill pressers and amateur chemists in shady backroom labs are trying to find cheaper substitutes that’ll get the job done no matter the human cost. Countries like New Zealand are starting to realize that it’s time for progressive thinking and policy making as ways to effectively address this issue. The first of its kind, New Zealand has recently passed the Psychoactive Substance Act of 2013 which sets the precedent for government to regulate the sale of new synthetic drugs. A government agency can now ensure “that synthetic psychoactive products meet adequate safety standards before going to market” and establish regulatory restrictions such as purchasing age, labeling requirements, and advertising restrictions. Check out the Drug Policy Alliance here for more info on the new legislation and here for more informative material on current drug policy.
So, what does this all mean? First of all, the majority of drug dealers do not care about their customers. This is not Burger King where you can get it your way. The bottom line for a dealer is always profit and some are ruthless to knowingly sell bunk or potentially fatal products to their buyers. Some dealers may not even know the chemical make up of their product because chances are, they didn’t even make it. There are only two ways to safeguard yourself. 1) Don’t be a consumer. 2) If you must be a consumer, protect yourself by buying a test kit. Test kits and useful information are available at sites like dancesafe.org and pillreports.com. Secondly, drug policy in the United States has seen gradual change over the past decade especially with the movement to legalize marijuana. However, such change in policy for psychoactive substances is unlikely in the near future. Hopefully, the recent legislation in New Zealand will produce promising results to lead other governments in a direction of more cost effective and efficient policy making. Until then, judgement and stigmatization will continue to breed ignorance so take on the responsibility of seeking out information to educate yourself and others.
Finally, we have mainstream media, once again, pointing the finger at rave/festival/club attendees as junkies claiming that our sense of togetherness is all an illusion created by drug consumption. Outsiders tend to fear what they don’t understand. So, the power of a genre based on computers and not traditional instruments is not even considered as a possibility for creating such a diverse and booming culture. But, how do we combat these damning accusations when our community is experiencing a generational clash which is causing a divisive rift? Perhaps, a change in personal paradigm and re-shifting of values is part of a larger answer. Perhaps, we need to widen our capacity to understand and find resolve through a united front within. For the more experienced generation to perceive a drug overdose as “dumb kids can’t handle their drugs and they’re ruining the party” is unproductive and alienating. So, I challenge the veterans to be more understanding of the less experienced and acknowledge that everyone goes through growing pains. Instead of imposing judgement and scowling disapproval that you also face from external sources because of your choice in music and lifestyle on the very people coming into the scene, reach out and make a positive impact through your experiential expertise. And, for the less experienced who have been flooding the rave gates, remember that you’re walking into a home that people have built over decades with their love of music and sharing that love with others. Barging in with a sense of entitlement and lack of consideration is going to lessen your overall experience and ruin someone else’s. Also, remember you are not a cat with 9 lives and YOLO is definitely real. So pace yourself. There will always be another festival, another show, another party. It’s a lot more fun to stay coherent and make memories you can recall. $400 for a festival ticket seems like a huge waste if you’re curled up in a corner from taking too much or mixing too much of everything. Personal responsibility is the name of the game here and your body, brain, and friends will be very appreciative the faster you learn it. Although the amount of deaths at festivals or raves are minuscule compared to alcohol or tobacco related deaths in the general public, loss of human life no matter the reason is always crucial. We can help prevent future loss with a unified effort to understand and educate so we don’t lose another Jeffery Russ or Olivia Rotondo.
Via – New York Post http://www.edmtunes.com/2013/09/recent-deaths-new-york-festivals-attributed-methylone/
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Carl Sagan - "Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people." --- Robert Pirsig - "When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion." --- Brian Cox - "[One] problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense."
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theonlysun81
Long Time Lurker, Recent Member


Registered: 05/11/12
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: Simplepowa]
#18906048 - 09/29/13 07:30 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I'm pretty sure Methylone is schedule 1 as well...
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OrgasmicBanana
aka "PICO"



Registered: 08/02/08
Posts: 450
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: theonlysun81]
#18906154 - 09/29/13 08:13 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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If methylone bath salts and jwh is legal under the analogue law which drugs does it make illegal exactly ?
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LoveYourLife
MDMA


Registered: 08/05/09
Posts: 2,076
Loc: Cincinnati
Last seen: 9 years, 6 months
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: OrgasmicBanana]
#18906199 - 09/29/13 08:36 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
OrgasmicBanana said: If methylone bath salts and jwh is legal under the analogue law which drugs does it make illegal exactly ?
Methylone and a lot of the JWH series have been federally scheduled now and put in the schedule 1 list of drugs. So they are just as illegal as Heroin or Crack.
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allseeingike



Registered: 04/06/11
Posts: 2,832
Loc: elgin ill-miami fl
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: LoveYourLife]
#18906347 - 09/29/13 09:37 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Its still cheaper and easy to get though unlike mdma at least where I am. I have tested a lot of molly lately ( test kits not by consuming) and not a single one has been mdma and all from diff sources
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weshroom



Registered: 11/19/06
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Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: allseeingike]
#18906474 - 09/29/13 10:21 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Ya sooooo much methylone where I am. Tested like 5 different people shit at a recent festival, all methylone or soemthing similar (yellow on marquis).
All "Molly".
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Cyclohexylamine
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out



Registered: 09/08/10
Posts: 14,327
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: theonlysun81]
#18906637 - 09/29/13 11:16 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
theonlysun81 said: I'm pretty sure Methylone is schedule 1 as well...
Even so it's not in many other countries (meaning it can be made cheaply). MDMA is illegal the world around. MDMA also needs safrole which is heavily controlled. Methylone doesn't.
-------------------- Yes this is tymo - I just changed my name Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to awake from that dream? How would you know the difference between that dream world and the real world? There is NOTHING better than feeling that warm dissociative fuzz creeping up your body from IM K Something abut that anaesthetic rush... Qualitative Research Chemical Effects and Experiences The Wonderful World of Methoxetamine The 3-Meo-PCP Chapters, Part One
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theonlysun81
Long Time Lurker, Recent Member


Registered: 05/11/12
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: Cyclohexylamine]
#18907412 - 09/29/13 02:45 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
tymoteusz3 said:
Quote:
theonlysun81 said: I'm pretty sure Methylone is schedule 1 as well...
Even so it's not in many other countries (meaning it can be made cheaply). MDMA is illegal the world around. MDMA also needs safrole which is heavily controlled. Methylone doesn't.
Yea but this article is about episodes that happened in New York and Boston...... so the rest of the world is irrelavent.
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luvdemshrooms
Two inch dick..but it spins!?


Registered: 11/29/01
Posts: 34,247
Loc: Lost In Space
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: theonlysun81]
#18907422 - 09/29/13 02:47 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Those that take something that they can not readily identify are simply asking for trouble.
-------------------- You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for that my dear friend is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. ~ Adrian Rogers
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Cyclohexylamine
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out



Registered: 09/08/10
Posts: 14,327
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: luvdemshrooms]
#18907479 - 09/29/13 03:02 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
theonlysun81 said:
Quote:
tymoteusz3 said:
Quote:
theonlysun81 said: I'm pretty sure Methylone is schedule 1 as well...
Even so it's not in many other countries (meaning it can be made cheaply). MDMA is illegal the world around. MDMA also needs safrole which is heavily controlled. Methylone doesn't.
Yea but this article is about episodes that happened in New York and Boston...... so the rest of the world is irrelavent.
Not really. It's extremely easy to import bulk methylone and similar from overseas. Because methylone is so cheap it's very lucrative for unethical dealers to import and then sell as MDMA.
Quote:
luvdemshrooms said: Those that take something that they can not readily identify are simply asking for trouble.
I agree - people should use test kits..
-------------------- Yes this is tymo - I just changed my name Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to awake from that dream? How would you know the difference between that dream world and the real world? There is NOTHING better than feeling that warm dissociative fuzz creeping up your body from IM K Something abut that anaesthetic rush... Qualitative Research Chemical Effects and Experiences The Wonderful World of Methoxetamine The 3-Meo-PCP Chapters, Part One
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Ogla



Registered: 02/16/04
Posts: 11,314
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Re: Recent Deaths at New York Festivals Attributed to Methylone [Re: Cyclohexylamine]
#18909196 - 09/29/13 09:48 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Source of the methylone got busted about two weeks ago anyways
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