It is snorted like cocaine, but it does not derive from coca leaves: la “pink cocaine” has risen to prominence due to its diffusion among very young people also in Italy and due to the recent news case linked to the death of the former member of One Direction Liam Paynewho died in Buenos Aires after consuming this substance. From a chemical point of view, cocaine is pink a derivative of phenylethylamine: it is called 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, its code name and 2C-B and the color by which it is known is due to the addition of dyes.
According to the GODDESS (Drug Enforcement Administration), the US federal drug enforcement agency, 2C-B is a psychoactive substance that produces euphoria and a increased sensations visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile. By taking 4 milligrams of this substance you enter a passive and relaxed state, with effects similar to those of MDMA. With 8-10 milligrams you have stimulating effects not too different from those of cocaine and hallucinations of slight severity. As the doses increase, hallucinations become increasingly evident and intense until they become frightening (as can happen with LSD) and are accompanied by morbid delusions.
For the same quantity consumed, the effects may vary depending on the purity of the dose, a parameter that is often totally unknown to those who consume 2C-B since this substance is produced clandestinely.
Beyond this, people who snort 2C-B report a extreme pain in the nasal cavities up to 30 minutes after taking. Others side effects include nausea, muscle tension, anxiety and claustrophobia. When taken orally, pink cocaine often causes gastrointestinal disorders and increased mucus production, which can lead to coughing. Further complications can arise in the case of consumption in conjunction with other substances: in fact, 2C-B is often consumed together with MDMA, cocaine and alcohol.
