Across American and European dance floors, clubgoers are falling in love with a designer drug called 3-MMC. Said to have a softer comedown than Ecstasy and less risk of fentanyl contamination, the synthetic stimulant is “coke without the irritation,” as one 33-year-old former regular on the European gay club circuit told me. “It’s a bit insidious because it’s so lucid.” It’s also cheaper and longer-lasting than cocaine, helpful for marathon-style parties that can stretch 12 to 24 hours, with libido-enhancing effects that make it popular with chemsex enthusiasts. For years, the European clubgoer would use 3-MMC to keep dancing all weekend, sometimes sharing it with the DJs, then keep taking it on weekdays to stay focused during client meetings as a product manager at a major tech company. “When you take it, you don’t feel ‘high,’ ” he explained. “You just feel better, with a little bit of pep in your step. It’s a functional tool, and it’s also very stealth. The outside world can’t really tell that you’re on drugs.” Read more >
