Molly overdoses allegedly to blame for hospitalisation of 11 Wesleyan University students

Two of the students are in critical condition

(Getty Images)

Eleven students from Wesleyan University in Connecticut were taken to the hospital on Sunday after they allegedly overdosed on a designer drug known as Molly.

Molly, which is a form of MDMA or ecstasy, has surged in popularity as a party drug due in part to its prevalence in popular music and its use at concerts and music festivals. As the popularity of the drug has grown, so have reports of the dangers associated with Molly.

Two of the students are in critical condition and two others are in serious condition, according to reports. The two students in critical condition reportedly had to be airlifted to the hospital.

“Initial indication in all of these cases is that the students took Molly last night,” Dean Michael Whaley, vice president of student affairs, wrote in a letter to the school community on Sunday. “Some of the students are in serious (or) critical condition.”

It is not clear if the students who are thought to have overdosed were together prior to arriving at the hospital. Police believe that the students ingested a bad batch of the drug and have launched an investigation.

“Our first and foremost goal is to obtain information on the batch of Molly that was distributed to the students on the campus last night,” Middletown Police Chief William McKenna said in a statement. “This information is critical to ensuring the recovery of those students affected.”

Molly has been tied to a troubling string of deaths in the past few years. The Electric Zoo festival in New York City cancelled the third day of the festival in 2013 when two people died after taking Molly.

The drug is dangerous because it raises body temperature and heart rate of users and also dehydrates. Investigation into Molly also has shown that the drug is often cut with other, cheaper drugs that can be especially dangerous.

Follow Payton Guion on Twitter @PaytonGuion.