Despite its name, pink cocaine is unrelated to traditional cocaine. It is a bright pink powder, often sweet-smelling, and nicknamed “Tusi.”
This party drug has been linked to some high-profile deaths, including One Direction star Liam Payne.
So, what is pink cocaine?
On this episode of The Briefing, host Bension Siebert sits down with Dr Amie Hayley from the International Council of Drugs, Alcohol and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) to find out.
“The funny part about that is that pink cocaine contains neither 2-CB nor cocaine most often. So you’re kind of getting this drug called pink cocaine, which is completely different from what it was intended to be and also contains nothing of its namesake,” Dr Hayley said.
Dr Hayley explained that pink cocaine gets its distinctive colour from a cheap food dye or a similar additive, often mixed with a powdery substance.
“It’s easy to recognise, and it’s definitely not similar to what people would be used to seeing, like cocaine, MDMA crystals, or even methamphetamine.”
The Australian Federal Police recently intercepted an attempt to import 250 kilograms of pink cocaine, suggesting the drug may already have a foothold in Australia’s party scene.
Dr Hayley said the drug originated in Latin America before gradually making its way to Europe and eventually ended up in Australia.
“To my knowledge, it’s not very widely used here… They were found at the border, so they had taken that. It does show us that there is some infiltration of this drug in the community.”
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