Dylan Bettencourt
Police in Somalia are fighting against a new drug craze that has swept the nation: sniffing ants.
Cops have declared a particular species of ant as an illegal drug after reports skyrocketed of people steaming the insects and inhaling their vapour to get high.
Odorous house ants contain formic acid, which is known to cause dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Following an investigation into ant-sniffing, police added the insect to the drug list. This means that any person found using the insects to get high can be arrested.
But it turns out humans aren’t the only creatures partying on ants.
“Birds in the past have been discovered to be drunk after consuming the ant in large quantities, with humans using the insects to the same effect,” a security officer told a Somali television broadcaster.
The officer also explained how humans get high on the creepy crawly.
“They cut off the ants’ bottoms, then they put them in the pan with the lid on. After it’s boiled for a while people sit around and hover over it, and they get high.”
The presenter on the show questioned if the descriptions by the security officer were real, to which he replied: “Yes. They become light-headed.”
The officer added that there is now a shortage of the odorous house ants because people are out searching for them to get high.
Image source: @TheDailyPest
