Pink Cocaine - A New Designer Drug
A new designer drug is beginning to hit the streets of America and it’s called Tusi. The synthetic drug, AKA tusibi or pink cocaine, is not a single drug but more of a cocktail that combines methamphetamine, opioids, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and more. The truth is that the lab-based cocktail is concocted differently depending on where you are in the world, making the risks difficult to ascertain. While trafficking has been predominantly Europe, central, and South America, the synthetic street drug has made its way to the United States.
Usage and Effects of Tusi
Pink cocaine is a controlled substance. It affects neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters play key roles in mood regulation and observation. The drug’s stimulating properties raise heart rate, blood pressure, and mental alertness, while also causing sensations of euphoria and heightened sensory perception. However, extreme use typically leads to harm on mental health (such as paranoia) and physical well-being (e.g., respiratory distress).
Synthetic Drugs Are Popular Club Drugs
Pink cocaine’s emergence highlights the ever-developing landscape of synthetic drugs and the creativity of drug trafficking. By combining several compounds, synthetic chemists create new substances to capitalize on market demand, specifically within the late night club scenes. Given Tusi’s properties of stimulant and psychedelic compounding, young adult users can club dance for hours without interruption. However, the immediate consequence is usually severe dehydration and drives rave goers to hospital emergency rooms. The drug is lab-made primarily in South-East Asia and Colombia. Tusi is sold in Europe and North America in and around the club scene.
Gang Migrants Are Selling Pink Cocaine
Pink cocaine first showed up on New York City Police’s radar in 2022. Drug enforcement authorities now report that it’s multiplied in popularity as South American gang members, who’ve entered U.S. illegally and pushing it on the streets of NYC near clubs. At the same time, the gangs are marketing Tusi on social platforms like Tik-Tok, Instagram, Snap-Chat, and Facebook.
Pink Cocaine is Unlike Any Other Drug
While both pink cocaine and traditional cocaine affect the central nervous system, they differ in composition and potency. Pink cocaine’s cocktail of MDMA, amphetamine, LSD, and other synthetic drugs sets it apart from the pure, stimulant-based cocaine. This combination can lead to increased mental acuity, altered perceptions, and heightened energy levels similar to those experienced with MDMA or methamphetamine use. However, the added compound of LSD (or acid) can create a lengthy hallucinogenic event not typically associated with cocaine. Pink cocaine creates a fearless effect that puts users in danger within minutes of ingestion and effects can last up to eight hours. Tusi is unlike any other drug and should have the attention of drug enforcement agencies around the world.
About Celadon Recovery
Celadon is comprehensive addiction and mental health treatment center located along the shores of the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida. With a full-continuum of care including detox, residential, and outpatient programs, we are committed to quality substance use and co-occurring disorder care. Call us today at 239-266-2141.
