Tusi, a mostly pink powder with a sweet aroma, has become an intriguing phenomenon in the modern party scene. At Proyecto Soma, where we’ve been working in harm reduction in Peru since 2021, we have witnessed the growing use of this mix in Lima, both at festivals and smaller parties.
From its start, tusi has been wrapped up in misdirection. Surging in popularity across Latin America, its name is reminiscent of “2-CB”, an unrelated psychedelic substance. Instead, tusi is a cocktail of various substances usually dyed bright pink, with its exact composition depending on the supplier, its originating region, and even the year; this combination is meant to emulate the experiences of 2-CB. Tusi is not unique nor standardised; it is a constantly evolving and adapting substance, which has meant that organisations working in drug checking, like ours, have had a very difficult job in understanding it and how to reduce its harms.
As an organisation focused on providing accurate information for people using drugs, as well as collecting data on the drug market and its changing dynamics, we have tracked how tusi’s composition evolved over the years. Originally a substance that was primarily a mixture of MDMA and ketamine, its contents has now vastly expanded: our results frequently detect MDA, various cathinones as well as cocaine – which was rare despite tusi’s reputation of “pink cocaine”.
This change not only alters the effects users expect, but also increases the risks, as they could be inhaling a completely different cocktail than they believe. This discovery and market change has reinforced the need for continuous updates to our analysis methods.
Tusi challenging drug checking at festivals
In March, we had the opportunity to attend the Estereopicnic festival in Colombia alongside other harm reduction organisations like Échele Cabeza. There, we provided harm reduction information for festival attendees, checking their drugs’ content, while also conducting drug market research and analysis. Beyond the new substances found mixed into tusi, we detected benzodiazepines and even Viagra in some samples, a surprising and unprecedented combination.
These findings highlight two challenges with understanding the tusi supply. Firstly, tusi’s producers are increasingly varying their supplies’ content – not only in the quantities of drugs used, but also in types. From a drug checking perspective, this creates serious challenges for our work: we need to conduct several and lengthy tests on every sample of tusi to detect the whole array of substances within it. This slows down our response time in a festival with thousands of people potentially taking drugs.
Secondly, such a varied drug content exacerbates the potential harms of tusi consumption. The variety of substances within its mix means people are not only consuming stimulants and anaesthetics, but could also be unknowingly consuming depressants, and other unexpected medications. This obviously raises the risk of potential medical complications for those using drugs, not only because of interactions between these substances, but their interactions with people’s bodies.
Of all the tusi samples Proyecto Soma has tested from 2021 to 2024, only 27% contained the expected MDMA-ketamine combination. Almost three-quarters of tested samples contained more unexpected substances. Échele Cabeza also highlighted an increasingly diverse number of drugs found in tusi mixtures: in their 2023 data release, two-thirds of samples were MDMA-ketamine mixtures: the rest was a mixture of various known and unknown substances.
73% of them did not contain the substances that data from other organisations typically indicate the substance contained at its origins when it was created. Only in 27% of cases did we find the expected combination of MDMA and ketamine, which underlines the difficulty of accurately identifying what is truly present in each sample. This level of uncertainty makes harm reduction even more crucial.
Tusi use is on the rise
For the past three years, we have seen tusi’s consumption rise. When Proyecto Soma started its analysis service, tusi was the fourth most analysed drug we came across; now, it is tied with cocaine in second place. MDMA remains the most analysed substance we come across. With greater tusi use comes greater risks of health harms and potentially lethal risks for those unaware of its contents.
While those using our services are able to gain some insights and information into the substances they’re consuming, the drug market in Peru – and most countries where drugs are prohibited – operates under a constant state of ignorance. Engaging in a nuanced conversation about the complexity of drug markets – let alone that of tusi – remains impossible under a system of prohibition. Until we accept this reality, we are limited by a drug policy system that prevents people from breaking free of ignorance and the harms that creates.
The rights tools are needed for drug checking
Our work faces significant challenges. Drug checking in the “field” – from festivals to the streets – is primarily done through colorimetric reagent kits. While they are useful to detect the presence of certain substances, they are not enough to understand the entire contents of the substances we come across. No case better exemplifies this than tusi.
To keep people safe, we need better tools. More advanced drug checking equipment, like a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) machine or a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) would allow us to analyse each sample more precisely, detecting all the substances or adulterants found within it. However, the price of this technology is currently prohibitive, particularly as drug checking is still largely funded by donations and communities, rather than through public funds or private institutions.
We need the tools to reduce harms
At every party and festival, Proyecto Soma’s presence has a clear purpose: to reduce the risks associated with substance use and provide people with the necessary information to stay safe. We have observed, as other drug checking organisations have too, that when people access accurate information on the contents of their drugs, they adapt their drug habits. This is the core of our mission: we need to empower people with accurate information and knowledge for them to make informed and safer decisions.
Tusi is a drug market enigma, evolving as fast as it circulates. However, with the right tools, drug checking organisations like ourselves can and will track its developments, ensuring people are aware of what they are consuming. In a world where drug use will always exist, the true threat is not the drug itself, but the lack of knowledge around it and its effects.
Tusi harm reduction advice
If you have informed yourself about tusi and decided to try it, keep these recommendations in mind:
- Tusi is often marketed as “pink cocaine.” It is not cocaine. Therefore, do not dose it like cocaine: doses should be smaller due to its unexpected effects.
- Wait between 40 and 50 minutes if you are going to re-dose, as the different substances in Tusi have varying effects and durations.
- Since it is already a mix, it should not be combined with even more substances. Due to the potential presence of ketamine, consuming tusi with alcohol increases potential risks as associated with depressants, and can further stress the liver and heart.
- Inform yourself about the risks associated with ketamine, MDMA, and caffeine.
- It is essential to start with a smaller dose, give yourself space between doses, and check the substance if possible at a drug checking point.
EDIT: Edits have been made after publication to focus the article’s messaging on harm reduction.
