Tusi, Sometimes Called "Pink Cocaine"

"Tusi is a relatively new drug concoction that is marketed using the phonetic translation of “2C.” This name, especially when mentioned verbally, has great potential to incorrectly refer to 2C. This was likely an intentional marketing tactic. Variations in spelling include “tuci,” ”tucci,” and “tussi,” and tusibí and tucibí (17,18)—which even further misrepresent the specific compound 2C-B. The mixture is also sometimes referred to as “pink cocaine” (“cocaina rosada” in Spanish) despite cocaine rarely being a component of the concoction. Tusi is almost always found in the form of pink powder, often accompanied with a sweet smell resulting from food coloring (18). Tusi reportedly now has a relatively low cost in some areas with some reports suggesting a gram can now cost as little as $10 USD (19), although costs might shift as popularity continues to increase.

"It is unknown to what extent people who use or seek tusi are aware of its potential contents. Most drug-checking studies reporting on its contents have been conducted in Latin America where the concoction appears to be most popular. Such studies have typically not found tusi to contain 2C/2C-B, but rather ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and/or new psychoactive substances (17). In fact, one study conducted in Chile found that 99% of submissions said to contain 2C contained ketamine and <1% contained actual 2C series drugs (17). A drug checking study that analyzed drug samples submitted at fixed sites and dance festivals throughout Colombia detected a wide range of drugs in tusi including ketamine, MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), cocaine, methamphetamine, synthetic cathinones, 1-(4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOB), local anesthetics such as lidocaine, and opioids such as oxycodone and tramadol (19). 2C-B was typically not detected. Energy Control, the leading drug checking organization in Spain, has also found that almost all samples of tusi submitted test positive for ketamine plus MDMA with or without additional drugs. Similar to other studies, 2C-B was rarely detected (18). Energy Control reports that, on average, a third (34%) of the volume of tested samples is ketamine and 11% MDMA. Similar mixtures of drugs detected in tusi have been reported on social media by drug checking organizations in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada (17)."