The party drug, which doesn't typically contain cocaine, is attracting attention after reports it was found during late musician Liam Payne's autopsy.
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Former One Direction singer Liam Payne reportedly had a recreational party drug called "pink cocaine" in his system when he died last week – but what exactly is it?
The pink powder, also known as "tusi," doesn’t typically contain cocaine. Instead, it’s a cocktail of drugs such as ketamine, meth, ecstasy, and crack that have been dyed pink.
As the drug becomes more popular, European and US authorities have warned people against using it.
"In many respects, pink cocaine is an example of the more sophisticated marketing of synthetic substances to consumers, who are likely to have very little understanding of what chemicals they are actually consuming," according to the European Union Drugs Agency.
Why is it pink?
Pink cocaine is pink thanks to food colouring or dye, said Joseph Palamar, who studies drug trends at NYU Langone Health in the US.
"Sometimes it has cocaine in the mix, but it’s typically more of a ketamine concoction," Palamar said.
Studies have found batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine, and opioids.
"It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have a couple of drugs and a pink dye," Palamar said.
The word "tusi" may have been coined to mimic 2C-B, a recreational drug used on the rave scene in the 1990s and known for euphoric effects, according to a paper Palamar published last year. Drug analyses that Palamar reviewed showed tusi didn't typically contain 2C-B.
Today, young people may not know the history of the name tusi and they may be confused by the name pink cocaine, he said.
"It’s just some pretty powder that their friends are using. They probably have no idea what it’s supposed to be," he said.
Why is pink cocaine dangerous?
The danger is tied to not knowing what's in it. Users could wind up with undesired effects or take a larger amount than experience tells them they can handle.
For example, ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic approved for use during surgery, but in recent years it has been used recreationally and as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. It can cause hallucinations and can impact breathing and the heart.
"Ketamine is not a fun drug to most people," Palamar said. "It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very alien when you’re on it, especially in large doses".
Someone who's drunk at a party and thinks cocaine might counter alcohol's effects is going to be unpleasantly surprised by pink cocaine that's actually mostly ketamine, he said.
"If you’ve been drinking, it’s going to make you sick to your stomach and the dissociative effects are not going to be very pleasant," he said.
Where is pink cocaine coming from?
Pink cocaine is believed to have originated in Colombia, but it has since spread overseas.
In September, Spanish authorities seized 21 kg of pink cocaine in Ibiza and Malaga as part of their largest-ever synthetic drug bust.
It has also appeared in the UK.
In May, the US authorities said they confiscated pink cocaine and other drugs off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. But it could just as easily be made by drug dealers in the US, who mix their own, Palamar said.
