BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — On Monday morning, local reports out of Argentina began to circulate about the results of the initial toxicology test taken in the wake of Liam Payne’s death.
Payne, a singer and former member of internationally famous One Direction boy band, died at 31 on Oct. 16 after falling from the third floor of his Buenos Aires hotel room.
Multiple reports cited a an Argentine official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists. Per that source, cocaine was found in Payne’s system at the time of his death.
But a source also told ABC news that “multiple substances” were found in Payne’s toxicology reported — including, ABC News reports, a substance known as “pink cocaine.”
What is pink cocaine?
According to National Capital Poison Center (NCPC), the term “pink cocaine” refers to a mixture of psychedelic drugs that doesn’t always contain any actual cocaine at all.
Instead, the NCPC says, “pink cocaine” is often said to be a mix of MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, caffeine and 2-CB, a drug that was first developed to help treat sexual dysfunction.
Still, studies show that “pink cocaine” can sometimes also contain real cocaine, methamphetamine and other opioids or psychoactive substances.
The substance gets its pink color due to the use of food coloring, according to the NCPC.
“Pink cocaine” is just one of the names the drug goes by. It is also commonly known as Tusi, Tuci, Tusibi and Tucibi.
It is often ingested in a pill form or snorted as a powder much like cocaine is — hence the name.
What are the risks of pink cocaine?
Adverse effects of “pink cocaine” can include hallucinations, anxiety, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms and coma, per NCPC.
Longer-term effects include heart problems, an increased risk of stroke, behavioral changes and addiction.
One of the more dangerous aspects of the drug is not knowing what is in it. As previously mentioned, the drug has some consistent ingredients, but more dangerous substances are often laced into it, the NCPC says.