What is Tusi? Pink Cocaine Isn’t What You Think

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. However, most pink cocaine mixes today don’t contain these psychedelics, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. This other pink cocaine’s scientific name is 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylethylamine, a substance that belongs to the psychedelic phenethylamine family. Alexander Shulgin first produced it in the United States in 1974, and the drug’s effects resemble LSD and ecstasy but are weaker and less stimulating. The OEDA report notes that it is the “third most consumed new psychoactive substance” after ketamine and spice, a synthetic cannabinoid. They are selling it as something very exclusive, but it is a regular triphasic,” said Berta de la Vega, the coordinator of Energy Control in Madrid, Spain.

Side Effects Of Pink Cocaine

Additionally, 2C-B is often adulterated with several other drugs that can lead to overdose or other adverse physical health consequences. 2C-B is often pressed into pills containing MDMA or LSD without the buyer being aware that there are multiple substances present, which can lead to devastating consequences. Furthermore, taking a psychedelic drug can often trigger underlying mental health concerns that the person is unaware of, such as depression, anxiety, or even schizophrenia. This article is intended for harm reduction purposes and should not be used in place of medical advice. DoubleBlind does not advocate participating in illicit activities.

2C-B is a psychedelic drug developed by Alexander Shulgin, whereas tusi is a street drug with no consistent recipe. Testing by harm reduction organizations and law enforcement has confirmed that tusi almost never contains 2C-B. Tusi emerged as a novel substance in 2022, with its rise potentially linked to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. With people confined to their homes during lockdowns, drug use became an increasingly attractive option. Those with limited experience in acquiring street drugs could create pink cocaine from readily available products. The effects of pink cocaine can vary depending on the drug’s precise composition, how it is taken, and an individual’s tolerance and physical reactions.

2C-B was first synthesized in the 1970s and became a popular recreational drug in the 1980s. At first, 2C-B was completely legal—until the harms and dangers of using this drug became apparent. In 1995, the Drug Enforcement Administration classified 2C-B as a Schedule I controlled substance, making it illegal to possess, purchase, or sell this substance. DoubleBlind Magazine does not encourage or condone any illegal activities, including but not limited to the use of illegal substances.

Pink cocaine is a home-cooked drug cocktail

The drug known as 2C-B is a designer psychedelic drug that also comes in the form of a pink powder. Tuci is a cocktail of synthetic drugs like LSD, MDMA, ketamine, GHB, and caffeine all mixed together then dyed pink. Like many other recreational drugs, 2C-B use is not without significant risks. People who take this drug can experience physical effects, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting, and significant GI discomfort. But as a hallucinogen, many of the most severe risks stem from the psychological effects the drug can have.

However, Alejo was stepping on the toes of established traffickers. Multiple times, he fled for his life until he secured protection from rival gangs whose turf he was operating within. Whether anyone knew the difference between 2-CB and tusi didn’t seem to matter. Soon, Alejo was moving kilograms of the powder per week, which sold for over 30x the price of cocaine.

• In extreme doses, it may even lead to respiratory depression, seizures, or a condition known as excited delirium, potentially resulting in hypothermia and fatal cardiac arrest.
• 2C-B was first synthesized in the 1970s and became a popular recreational drug in the 1980s.
• This is why it’s popular inside of South American rave culture and night clubs as a replacement for MDMA (ecstasy).
• Drug cartels in Colombia gave the nickname Tusi or Tucibi to this dangerous drug cocktail just to make it easier to market.
• Cocaine is plant-based, whereas Pink Cocaine is a mixed-up cocktail drug that contains anything but cocaine, which makes this drug’s effects unpredictable and dangerous.

Was this article on Pink Cocaine (Tusi) helpful? Deepen your learning here.

Phenylethylamines are a group of drugs with stimulant and psychoactive effects. These drugs also include amphetamines, methamphetamine, and MDMA. However, last Wednesday, the police announced that they’d broken up a group that was trafficking pink cocaine, as well as ordinary white cocaine, intended for distribution in Malaga, in southern Spain, and the capital Madrid. The authorities arrested seven people and seized 24 kilos (almost 53 lbs) of cocaine and 120,000 euros (almost $128,000) hidden in a suitcase at Barajas Airport.

Is Tusi Safe?

Studies focusing on people who use tusi are needed as this concoction increases in popularity. Specifically, information is needed regarding prevalence of use, characteristics of people who use, reasons for use, and effects experienced. Co-use of alcohol, ecstasy, and cocaine was common, and effects of tusi reportedly included euphoria, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, blacking out, and loss of consciousness. Studies assessing such information are needed in the US, especially as the drug spreads and the concoction begins to change. 2C-B began to emerge as a recreational drug, particularly in rave scenes, in the 1990s, although the drug was commonly disguised as MDMA, also known as ecstasy (5). Despite prevalence being somewhat rare, by the early 2000s, 2C-B had been encountered by law enforcement in 48 US states (7).

• Few epidemiological drug surveys query 2C or 2C-B use, but the drug appears to be particularly prevalent in Spain (8,9).
• Between 2017 and 2022, past-year 2C series use was estimated to be 2–3% among nightclub-attending populations in New York City (2), with estimated past-month use increasing from 0.2% in 2017 to 2.1% in 2022 (15).
• Despite the limited research, there is a high potential for abuse and a risk of adverse effects.
• When taken in low doses, it can produce mild stimulating effects but at high doses, it can cause severe reactions, including frightening hallucinations.
• This is why we prefer to think of pink cocaine as a type of drug-taking behavior rather than as a drug itself.
• As an increasing amount of demand comes to market, dealers are (to no surprise) finding ways to add fentanyl into the drug in order to cut down on costs.
• Although national drug surveys in the US do not query 2C use, type-in responses on the largest national drug survey suggest increases in lifetime use since the early 2000s (4).

Experts say that if we ever manage to invent a completely effective aphrodisiac, 2C-B will be the main ingredient. In 2004, this illegal drug boomed again, this time in Latin America. It became very popular in Mexico and traffickers started to import it to Colombia two years later. Then, a man who everyone came to call “Alejo Tusibi,” started to make a local version of the drug. Pink cocaine is currently considered a Schedule I controlled substance with no approved medical uses. American Chemist Alexander Shulgin is credited with synthesizing 2C-B in 1974.

The History of Pink Cocaine

The knowledge of tusi’s makeup soon spread throughout the underworld, with pink cocaine on its way to becoming an international product. Contrary to popular belief, Tucibi or tucibi tuci, typically lacks any amount of 2C-B. Instead, it is composed of a blend of ketamine, amphetamines, or MDMA, and at times mixed with opioids or hallucinogens like LSD and mescaline and opioids like fentanyl and oxycodone. Cocaine addiction, whether you are dealing with traditional cocaine or pink cocaine, is a treatable medical condition.

Tusi Lavada Meaning

This is an issue because cocaine is often used to balance out the effects of alcohol and unintentional ketamine use combined with alcohol use can lead to adverse reactions (21,22). Regardless of what people who use believe is in this concoction, batches tend to greatly fluctuate regarding which drugs and how much of them are mixed in. Pre-mixed combinations of various drugs can also interact and have synergistic effects. Tusi can also contain highly potent stimulants such as methamphetamine, which can be particularly dangerous or unpleasant if unknowingly consumed. Of pink powder containing ketamine and despropionyl fentanyl (24), but this is a fentanyl precursor, which is thought to be relatively inactive (25).

If you or someone you love has used Tucibi, please consider consulting addiction recovery professionals as soon as possible. Tucibi taking is called the Russian Roulette of drug experimentation for a good reason. The original psychedelic form Tucibi is based on hearkens back to 1974 and was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. While the original is both an hallucinogen and stimulant, the modern variant could be either something else, or a conglomeration of whatever a drug dealer happens to have on hand. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about pink cocaine. This drug is also made in unregulated labs, so there’s no way to know how strong of a dose you’re getting or what substances you’re taking.