In New Orleans, rats devour cannabis stored in the evidence room

Rats, marijuana, and pieces of evidence might seem like the ingredients for an absurd comedy, but for the New Orleans Police Department, this is a grim reality.

New Orleans police officials told a City Council committee this week that some rats have infested their headquarters and are feasting on stored cannabis in an evidence room.

Anne Kirkpatrick, the director of the New Orleans Police Department, sounded the alarm during a City Council committee meeting. Rats have infested their headquarters and are feasting on marijuana stored in an evidence room.

According to NOLA.com, Kirkpatrick lamented, «The rats are eating our Cannabis. ». They're all high."

The New Orleans Police Department’s woes go far beyond a rodent infestation. An anonymous NOPD veteran revealed to reporters the long-standing problems plaguing the downtown headquarters. «It’s horrible. I don’t think it ever really recovered from Katrina, to be honest,» the officer lamented.

In fact, following the 2005 hurricane, the building was flooded, creating an ideal breeding ground for pests. Over the years, the facility has deteriorated, with mold, an aging infrastructure, and a rat population that has become endemic and, it seems, is taking advantage of the situation.

Rats are easy targets

Curiously, the story of rodents indulging in uncontrollable cannabis use extends beyond the borders of New Orleans. There have been cases of mice consuming confiscated cannabis have been reported in South America and India.

In Argentina, the disappearance of nearly 500 kilograms of Cannabis A fire at a police warehouse, blamed on rats, sparked a controversy that led to the dismissal of eight officers. Similarly, in northern India, some Rats are said to have eaten more than 25 kilos of grass seizure, which led to a thorough review of law enforcement practices.