Pink cocaine, a drug cocktail that can contain ketamine, ecstasy, meth and crack, has gained notoriety as a party drug. With some media reports citing former One Direction singer Liam Payne had pink cocaine in his system when he fell to his death, there are growing calls for greater awareness of the danger it poses to users.
What is pink cocaine?
Pink cocaine is a cocktail of drugs that usually does not include cocaine. The mixture, which owes its colour to the addition of food dye and sometimes strawberry flavouring, usually contains at least one stimulant drug and one depressant. The drugs most commonly found in pink cocaine include methamphetamine; ketamine, a dissociative anaesthetic with hallucinogenic effects; and MDMA (ecstasy), as well as benzodiazepines, crack and caffeine.
Pink cocaine is usually either taken as a pill form or snorted as a powder. It is rarely injected. It is most commonly used on the club scene.
What other names does it have?
The drug cocktail’s other street names include tusi or tuci, cocaina rosada, tucibi, pink powder, Eros and Venus. Tusi was named after the psychedelic compound 2-CB, which was first synthesised by Alexander Shulgin, the so-called godfather of ecstasy. However, 2-CB, is now rarely found in pink cocaine, according to law enforcement officials.
Why is pink cocaine in the news?
According to some news reports, former One Direction singer Liam Payne had pink cocaine in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina last week. ABC News and TMZ both reported that the drug cocktail had been found during a partial autopsy, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
What does pink cocaine do?
People use the drug on the club scene to experience euphoria and enhanced sensory perception. UK Addiction Treatment Centres said it could cause “hallucinations”. On its website, it states: “Pink cocaine also has hallucinogenic properties, unlike the purely stimulant effects of traditional cocaine. Users of pink cocaine report both euphoric and psychedelic experiences, including altered sensory perception and mood swings.
“When compared to other stimulants like methamphetamine or synthetic drugs like ecstasy (MDMA), pink cocaine offers a unique combination of stimulant and hallucinogenic effects.”
It is an easy drug to overdose on, the treatment centres added. Long-term use can also cause heart attacks, high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, as well as behavioural changes, addiction, persistent anxiety, depression and psychosis.
What are the origins of pink cocaine?
The drug first appeared on Colombia’s streets in about 2010, and its use has since spread though the Latin American club scene, including in Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile and Panama, according to Vice. It has also gained popularity among clubbers in the US and in Europe, particularly in Spain. According to a UN drugs report published in 2022, pink cocaine has been found in the UK, Austria, Switzerland, Canada and south-east Asia.
