Singer Liam Payne’s tragic death last week caught the attention of millions of One Direction fans across the world and has been widely reported by global media outlets.
Payne’s toxicology report was widely reported too, as the star had multiple drugs in his system, with one of them being the so-called “pink cocaine.”
But what is this drug, and is it dangerous? Pink cocaine is commonly found as a powdery mix of ketamine and other drugs like methamphetamine, molly and opioids.
Pink cocaine does not typically contain ‘regular’ cocaine
Despite its name and its visual similarities with cocaine, pink cocaine does not usually contain cocaine itself. Instead, ‘pink cocaine’ gets its color from traditional food coloring. The drug is also known amongst consumers as tusi, tusibi and tuci.
Researchers have also claimed that the drug usually does not contain the psychedelic drug 2C-B, which was developed by a California chemist in 1974.
ABC News reports that Liam Payne had multiple drugs in his system at time of death, including cocaine, benzodiazepine, crack and ‘pink cocaine’ (a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA). pic.twitter.com/hKmkcvs6k6
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 21, 2024
The most commonly found ingredient in pink cocaine is ketamine. Ketamine is an extremely dangerous tranquilizer. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has amalgamated a list of drugs that usually contain ketamine as an ingredient, which are extremely popular in Latin America and Thailand.
This office also said that “High doses of ketamine used outside a medical context can cause cardiovascular and respiratory toxicity effects as well as other adverse effects such as bladder problems, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations, tachycardia, chest pains, depression, aggravated symptoms of existing mental health issues, slurred speech and the inability to speak.”
The effects of the drug
It is difficult to determine the effects of street drugs on the population, and it is nearly impossible to predict exactly how every individual would react to different substances.
Some of the side effects of consuming pink cocaine include anxiety, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and an increase in heart rate. Prosecutors in New York have also said that physical and sexual assaults as well as injuries tend to happen when people consume pink cocaine.
In other words, this drug, like almost every other drug, is very dangerous, especially given that pink cocaine is usually mixed with other stimulants like methamphetamine.
The different components of the cocktail have contradictory effects on the human body, with one speeding your heart to speed up, and the other slowing the heart down.
Pink cocaine is usually found in party situations and was mentioned in the lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs.