What Is Pink Cocaine? The new recreational drug linked to Liam Payne's untimely death

Liam Payne, the One Direction star, sadly died at the age of 31 on October 16 after falling from the third story balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Investigators have been looking into the circumstances surrounding Liam's death. According to reports, CCTV footage shows that Liam fainted just before he fell. Argentinian journalist Paula Varela shared this information during a segment on Canal 13’s “Socios del Espectáculo.” Prosecutors have yet to confirm any results from the toxicology and tissue tests they have carried out. A partial autopsy found that Liam had multiple substances in his system when he fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16. Those substances included ‘pink cocaine’ – a recreational drug that typically is a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack. An improvised aluminum pipe to ingest drugs was also found in his hotel room, according to the sources. As per reports, Liam's body will remain in Argentina until the autopsy is complete.

What is Pink Cocaine?

Pink cocaine is a typical medley of several drugs that often includes a mix of ketamine, MDMA (ecstasy), caffeine, and bright pink food colouring, but it may also contain the synthetic psychedelic 2-CB, methamphetamine, and opioids. Put more simply, it is a concoction that anybody can make as long as they have a couple of drugs and pink dye on hand.

According to Maryann Amirshahi, PharmD, MD, MPH, a medical toxicologist and co-medical director of the National Capital Poison Center, it is called pink cocaine, but it usually doesn’t contain cocaine. But, at the same time, it can because one never really knows what all are in the mix.

Pink cocaine is sometimes called ‘tusi’ or ‘tucibi’—terms that come from the phonetic translation of the “2C” and “2-CB” psychedelics that used to be in the early formulations of the concoction. According to a study published by Joseph Palamar, MPH, PhD, an associate professor of population health at NYU Langone Health, ‘tusi’, the recreational drug used on the rave scene in the 1990s and known for euphoric effects. Drug analyses reviewed by the NYU Langone researcher showed that 'tusi' didn't typically contain 2C-B. However, most pink cocaine mixes today don't contain these psychedelics, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. According to Amirshahi, “there’s a lot of batch-to-batch variability, and that really does make it quite dangerous because you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

Why Is Pink Cocaine So Dangerous?

Substance abuse, needless to say, is a dangerous (and mostly illegal) habit. However, the threat with ‘pink cocaine’ mostly comes from the uncertainty about its contents. People using pink cocaine can’t predict how they'll react each time because the mixtures vary. Consumers could fall ill, could wind up with undesired effects or take a larger amount than past experience tells them they can handle. 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. As it’s often been labelled as a ‘fun drug’, it is not so fun for most people and can pose a potential threat to the consumers. Other possible pink cocaine ingredients can raise body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels. Long-term use may contribute to the risk of stroke, heart problems, and addiction. If there’s MDMA in the mix, the really low sodium levels that can actually cause one seizure as well. As per Palamar, “If someone is desiring that effect from regular cocaine, and somebody hands them ‘pink cocaine’ and it’s more of a ketamine concoction, they’re not going to feel very well. Combining a dissociative anesthetic with alcohol is not a great mix. You’ll probably get very sick to your stomach. Mentally, you’re not going to feel well, either.” As per Palamar, sometimes, people mix regular cocaine with alcohol because they believe it will ‘balance out’ the effects, leading them to drink even more

How widespread is Pink Cocaine?

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), pink cocaine is not as common as other substances like fentanyl pills. It's usually found in cities with active nightclub scenes like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles.
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