Tusi use among the New York City nightclub-attending population.
Joseph J Palamar, Nina Abukahok, Patricia Acosta, Alex J. Krotulski, Sara E Walton, Brianna Stang, Charles M Cleland
Addiction April 20, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/add.70069 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,465 |
| Population | Adults aged 18 years and older entering electronic dance music events at nightclubs in New York City |
| Topics | Ketamine |
| Keywords | Oral fluid Party drugs Pink cocaine Self‐report Drugs_substances tusi Recreational drugs Narcotics Nightlife_entertainment clubs Dance venues Nightclubs Raves Research_studies saliva testing |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | An estimated 2.7% of adults in the NYC EDM nightclub-attending population have used Tusi in the past year, with higher odds among Hispanic individuals and those using other drugs like ecstasy/MDMA, ketamine, or 2C series. |
Abstract
'Tusi', also known as 'tusibí' or 'pink cocaine', is a drug concoction which previously emerged in Latin America and Europe and has recently acquired popularity in the United States (US). Consumers are often unaware that Tusi contains a mixture of ketamine and other drugs, and the concoction can be confused with 2C/2C-B (ring-substituted phenethylamines/4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) or cocaine. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of past-year Tusi use in the electronic dance music (EDM) nightclub-attending population in New York City (NYC), US. This cross-sectional study included surveys and optional saliva testing of adults entering randomly selected EDM events in NYC in 2024. Adults aged ≥18 years entering EDM events at nightclubs (n = 1465). Exposures were demographic characteristics and past-year use of other drugs. The primary outcome was self-reported past-year use of Tusi, and in a subsample, biologically confirmed exposure to various drugs determined by saliva testing. Based on self-report, an estimated 2.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.9-3.9] of adults in the NYC EDM nightclub-attending population have used Tusi in the past year. Compared with white individuals, Hispanic individuals were at higher odds for use [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.10, 95% CI = 1.96-13.25]. Compared with those who did not use, those who used ecstasy/3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (aOR = 6.59, 95% CI = 1.60-27.16), ketamine (aOR = 3.44, 95% CI = 1.18-10.08) and/or 2C series (aOR = 14.82, 95% CI = 4.77-46.04) in the past year were at higher odds for use. Compared with those not reporting Tusi use, those reporting past-year use were more likely to have saliva test positive for cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, methamphetamine and/or synthetic cathinones (Ps < 0.001). They were also more likely to test positive for cocaine, ketamine or methamphetamine after not reporting past-year use (Ps < 0.01). An estimated 2.7% of electronic dance music-nightclub attending adults in New York City appear to have used Tusi in the past year, with higher use among Hispanic individuals and people exposed (sometimes unintentionally) to other drugs.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-Year Trends in Use of Hallucinogens and Other Adjunct Drugs among UK Dance Drug Users People who use drugs in dance contexts | 2006 | Repeated-measures cross-sectional survey | |
| Preliminary analysis of positive and negative syndrome scale in ketamine-associated psychosis in comparison with schizophrenia Healthy subjects, ketamine abusers, and schizophrenia patients | 2014 | Cross-sectional study | n = 998 |
| Ketamine as a primary predictor of out-of-body experiences associated with multiple substance use Online survey respondents | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 192 |
| Self-reported prevalence of dependence of MDMA compared to cocaine, mephedrone and ketamine among a sample of recreational poly-drug users Global non-treatment-seeking sample of last year users of MDMA, cocaine, mephedrone,... | 2014 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Near-Death States Reported in a Sample of 50 Misusers Previous ketamine misusers who reported a ketamine-related near-death experience | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 50 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Monstrous substance: 'Tuci', pharmacopolitical assemblages and spectral materialities. International Journal of Drug Policy November 1, 2025
- TUSI Valve: Echocardiographic and Pathologic Correlates of a Novel Drug-Induced Valvular Disease-a Case Series. CASE April 1, 2026
- An Update on the Epidemiology of Tusi ("Pink Cocaine"). Current Addiction Reports 2025
- Emergence of synthetic drugs in South America: insights from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. Harm Reduction Journal June 4, 2026
Cites 4
- Ketamine use: a review Addiction July 21, 2011
- A qualitative descriptive analysis of effects of psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 2020
- Trends in drug use among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City, 2017-2022. International Journal of Drug Policy May 1, 2023
- Tusi: a new ketamine concoction complicating the drug landscape. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse September 3, 2023