What’s actually in pink cocaine?
Pink cocaine isn’t cocaine, and despite the name, it usually isn’t 2C-B either. It’s a pink-dyed mix of drugs that changes from batch to batch, most often built around ketamine and MDMA. That unpredictability is exactly what makes it dangerous: with “tusi,” you rarely know what you’re actually taking.
Last reviewed June 2026 · sources cited throughout
The straight answer
“Pink cocaine” is a street name for a pink-dyed powder, also called tusi, tussi, tucibi, or tusibi. The name comes loosely from “2C-B” (tusi ≈ “2-C” in Spanish), which is why people assume that’s what’s in it. In reality, lab testing of seized samples tells a very different story, most “pink cocaine” contains little or no 2C-B at all.
It’s a cocktail, not a single drug.Two bags sold as the same thing can contain completely different chemicals at completely different strengths. The pink dye is cosmetic, it tells you nothing about what’s inside.
What’s actually inside “tusi”
Share of analysed samples containing each drug (Spanish drug-checking data, n≈470).
// the name says 2C-B; the chemistry usually says ketamine + MDMA. Every batch differs.
Source: Spanish drug-checking data from Energy Control (n≈470; ketamine 93.2%, MDMA 92.1%, 2C-B 3.6%, shown above rounded to whole percent), as reported in Fitzgerald ND, Abukahok N, Palamar JJ. “When pink powders shift the drug landscape: tusi (pink cocaine) and other colored powders.” International Journal of Drug Policy. 2025;146:105044. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044
Is pink cocaine 2C-B?
Almost never. The name is borrowed from 2C-B, but lab tests find it in only a small fraction of samples. If you want the actual compound, that’s a different thing entirely.
Read: Is pink cocaine really 2C-B? →Is it cocaine?
No. It contains no cocaine in most samples. The “cocaine” in the name refers to it being a snorted powder, not to its contents.
Read: the 2C-B profile →Why you’re hearing about it now
“Pink cocaine” went from a regional nightlife term to global headlines through high-profile news coverage over 2024 to 2025, including widely-reported celebrity cases. Search interest spiked, but the coverage rarely explained what the drug actually is, which is how a dangerous misconception spread: that it’s a single, known substance. It isn’t.
What it does
Because the contents vary, so do the effects, and that’s the point. A batch heavy on MDMA feels stimulating and euphoric; one heavy on ketamine feels dissociative and sedating. Most are some blend of the two, which is an inherently unpredictable combination. You can’t reliably predict the experience, the intensity, or how long it lasts, because you can’t know the recipe.
Chemistry & mechanism of action
Because it is a variable mixture, tusi has no single mechanism of action; its effects come from whatever drugs a given batch actually contains. Where ketamine is present it acts mainly as an NMDA-receptor antagonist (a dissociative); where MDMA is present it increases release of serotonin and other monoamines. Two samples sold as the same thing can therefore behave very differently.
Source: U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nida.nih.gov; PubChem, U.S. National Library of Medicine compound records for ketamine and MDMA.
The real risks
The danger with tusi isn’t one specific drug, it’s the not knowing. Unknown ingredients and unknown doses make it easy to take far more than intended, or to combine drugs that are risky together (ketamine, MDMA, alcohol and stimulants each raise the load on the heart and body). Samples have also been found cut with other substances entirely. Mixing depressants and stimulants, dehydration, overheating, and accidental overdose are the recurring patterns.
How to stay safer
The only way to be sure is not to use. If someone is going to anyway, harm reduction lowers the risk:
- Test it.Reagent kits and fentanyl test strips reveal some of what’s actually present, far better than guessing from the color.
- Start very low and wait. Because strength is unknown, a tiny amount first tells you more than any label.
- Don’t mix.Avoid combining with alcohol or other drugs , that’s where most emergencies come from.
- Sip water to thirst, not gallons. Over-drinking water is its own danger; electrolytes help more than volume.
- Never alone. Be with someone who can call for help and stay with you.
For recovery after the effects wear off, see our aftermath & comedown guide. To learn how testing works, see how to test a pink powder.
Ask about pink cocaine
Get straight, sourced answers, what’s in it, interactions, staying safer. It won’t help you find or buy anything.
Is pink cocaine legal?
No. Its common ingredients (ketamine, MDMA, and 2C-B) are controlled substances in the US and most countries, so possession and sale are illegal regardless of the mix. Exact classifications vary by country. See legal status by region →
Sources
- Composition readoutSpanish drug-checking data from Energy Control (n≈470), as reported in Fitzgerald ND, Abukahok N, Palamar JJ. “When pink powders shift the drug landscape: tusi (pink cocaine) and other colored powders.” International Journal of Drug Policy. 2025;146:105044. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105044
- Composition Public reporting from U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration drug fact sheets, dea.gov and U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nida.nih.gov on emerging drug mixtures.
- Chemistry U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nida.nih.gov; PubChem, U.S. National Library of Medicine compound records for ketamine and MDMA.
- Effects U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nida.nih.gov
- Risks U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nida.nih.gov; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration drug fact sheets, dea.gov.
- Legal status U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration drug fact sheets, dea.gov controlled-substance schedules.