Rodents and ‘creepy crawlies’ are always a concern for farmers. The unwanted visitors tend to eat the produce and potentially leave disease behind. Yet a field of cannabis fought back against a little intruder. In New Brunswick, Canada, where cannabis is legal, a mouse was found among the plants. It was laying on its back, “stoned” and passed out. [1]

Finding a “Stoned” Mouse on a Stack of Cannabis Leaves.Colin Sullivan said he noticed the little rodent stealing leaves from his produce for two days in a row. Pictures caught the mouse nibbling at its mini “harvest” before it felt the effects. The rodent was captured lying on his leaf heap, completely knocked out.Sullivan placed the mouse in a cage to “detox” until the mouse was back to its usual self. Six days later, the mouse ran back into the wild.The owner posted about the funny experience on Facebook: “For two days in a row I’ve caught this little pothead taking leaves off of my plant and eating them until he passes out.“He’s missing an ear so it may be self-medication for his PTSD but I still think it’s time for an intervention. I’ll let him sleep this one off but when he wakes up, he’s getting a real stern talking to.”Sullivan updated his followers a few days later, when the mouse was still in his Perspex cage.He said: “So it’s been a couple of rough days for our little baked buddy here and despite a belly ache and a wicked bad case of the munchies I think he’ll make a full recovery.“He’s been weaned to one medium leaf per day and seems to be adjusting well. One day at a time my friend, one day at a time.”Three days after that, the mouse was released from “rehab”. Sullivan shared the good news of the mouse’s sobriety with many appropriate puns:“On The Rodent To Redemption.“After a long and desperate battle with addiction, this little mouse has grinded up his struggle, picked out the seeds and stems and is ready to roll out. Weed all benefit from joining together to help the smoke clear in any addict’s life. He did his very cannibest and was awarded his first Twelve Step chip.“I may have been the one to open his cage but he was the one who set himself free. So long my friend, till we meet again.”The “Stoner Mouse” Goes Viral.The first post garnered over 461 thousand shares, and the last post gained over 6.4 thousand shares and 1.5 thousand comments, which were filled with appreciative laughs and jokes.Cody Myshrall said: “I’m happy to hear about his recovery.”Rhyll O’Keefe said: “I can just hear Cheech the mouse going … “’that was some trip maan … don’t know where I was… but I ended up in jail.’”Wendy Chaplin said: “Withdrawal is hard! Thanks for caring for the little stoner!”Sullivan himself is no stranger to substance detox. Between the mouse saga, he posted a beautiful homage to his wife, Robyn Sullivan. He added that she “literally saved my life and she is the main reason I’ve stayed sober this long…”Many comments on the post explained that they “came for the stoner mouse” but they loved the beautiful message and congratulated Sullivan on his sobriety.Cannabis’s Legal Status in New Brunswick.Cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2018, although each province and territory take different approaches to the drug.The government of New Brunswick writes on their official website: “With our decisions, actions, and legislation, we are building a culture that is safe, legal, responsible and limited to adults. We are prioritizing public health education and awareness while taking advantage of the economic opportunity this new industry presents.” [2]In this province, a person has to be 19 to consume cannabis, and it can only be sold by licensed retailers. An individual can possess a maximum of 30 grams at a time. It will also be prohibited to consume cannabis in public or while in a vehicle. Landlords are able to restrict tenants from smoking or growing cannabis. However, if they permit the smoking of tobacco, they cannot prohibit the smoking of cannabis. [3]“It is important that New Brunswickers understand the risks in order to make informed decisions on their personal cannabis use,” they conclude.