Rats get high after munching confiscated marijuana at police station
Stoner rats had a field day after stumbling across confiscated weed locked up in a dilapidated police station.
The cunning rodents got off their little faces right under the nose of the New Orleans police force in the US state of Louisiana.
Pot is among the bonanza of contraband material stored in the aging police headquarters, which is riddled with mould and cockroaches, ABC News reported.
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told New Orleans City Council members: ‘The rats eating our marijuana, they’re all high’.
She described the vermin infestation and decay at the offices, which have been in use since 1968, saying that officers have even found rat droppings on their desks.
Pest control expert Ron Harrison said he hasn’t heard of anyone reporting rats eating their drug stash, although the company has pest control contracts for some greenhouses that grow it.
But the situation in the state capital wasn’t a complete surprise since rats are omnivores, and that they may experience the same effects from marijuana as humans, depending on what form it is in, he said.
He continued: ‘From understanding the biology of the rat and how it’s somewhat similar to us, I would think based on the amount or concentration they take in, it would be somewhat similar to what humans experience’.
Police were tight-lipped about how the greedy rats found the ganja and if their antics impacted any investigations.
New Orleans officials are now hoping to move the department to a new space, with Superintended Kirkpatrick saying it is her priority to relocated, ABC News reported.
Her 910 officers had to come to work to broken air conditioning and elevators, she said, adding that the mess was not the fault of the janitorial staff.
She added: ‘The uncleanliness is off the charts.
‘They deserve an award for trying to clean what is uncleanable’.
Cannabis possession in the state of Louisiana was decriminalised state-wide in 2021, meaning those found with small amounts of pot under 14 grams no longer face jail time.
However, getting caught with more than that and illegally distributing the drug still carry harsh penalties, including a prison sentence between six months and 30 years.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.