A recreational drug called “pink cocaine” attracts attention and sows confusion because it usually does not contain cocaine.

The pink powder – actually a bag containing different drugs dyed pink – has been found in drug busts, prompting warnings from law enforcement.

Pink cocaine is also known as “tusi,” but the powder’s two nicknames are more marketing than reality. Experts say it rarely contains cocaine and is more likely to contain ketamine, a drug with very different effects.

Why is it pink?

Pink cocaine is pink because of dye, or food coloring, said Joseph Palamar, who studies drug trends at NYU Langone Health in New York.

“Sometimes the mixture contains cocaine, but it’s usually more of a ketamine concoction,” Palamar said. Studies have found batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine and opioids.

“It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have some medicine and pink dye,” Palamar said.

The word “tusi” may have been coined to imitate 2C-B, a recreational drug used in the rave scene in the 1990s and known for its euphoric effects, according to a Palamar article published last year. Drug analyzes reviewed by Palamar showed that tusi generally did not contain 2C-B.

Today, young people may not know the history of the name tusi and may be confused by the name pink cocaine, he said.

“It’s just a pretty powder their friends use.” They probably have no idea what it’s supposed to be,” he said.

Why is pink cocaine dangerous?

The danger comes from not knowing what’s inside. Users might end up with side effects or take a larger amount than their past experience tells them they can handle. Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved for surgical use, but in recent years it has been used recreationally and as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and pain. It can cause hallucinations and impact breathing and the heart.

“Ketamine is not a fun drug for most people,” Palamar said. “It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very foreign when you’re taking it, especially in large doses.”

Someone who has been drinking at a party and thinks cocaine might counteract the effects of alcohol will be unpleasantly surprised by pink cocaine that is actually mostly ketamine, he said.

“If you’ve been drinking, it’s going to make you feel sick to your stomach and the dissociative effects won’t be very pleasant,” he said.

Where does pink cocaine come from?

In May, the U.S. Coast Guard reported seizing, among other drugs, pink cocaine off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America.

“This was the first time I heard of large batches being imported into the United States in the form of tusi,” Palamar said. It could just as easily be made by drug dealers in the United States, who mix their own, he said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.