Fact Check: A Photo Appears to Show Wild Cannabis Growing Naturally in the Himalayas. Here's What We Know About It

Nikki Dobrin

23 May 2024 at 9:00 am·5-min read

Claim:

Authentic photos show wild cannabis growing naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.

Rating:

Social media users on platforms like Reddit and Instagram have widely circulated the claim that wild cannabis grows naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas. Users in communities such as r/pics and r/trees have showcased images of cannabis plants thriving in the Himalayan Mountains. These posts have sparked curiosity and debate about the authenticity and prevalence of wild cannabis in that region of the world.

For instance, a post on Reddit's r/interestingasf*** shared in 2020 featured a vivid image of cannabis plants, as well as the assertion, "Cannabis growing naturally in the Himalayas," which garnered significant curiosity from readers on the platform.

Similarly, Instagram users have posted images of cannabis plants they claim were taken in natural Himalayan settings. In June 2023, user @liljupiterr shared a post that has garnered nearly 35,000 likes. Along with a series of snaps showcasing the abundance of cannabis plants growing on a mountainside and a local woman transporting harvested plants on her head, the poster wrote the following explanation: "Marijuana growing naturally in The Himalayas ⛰️
'Most sources agree that the marijuana plant was originally from the Himalayan mountains, located in Tibet, with historical roots along the border of India and Afghanistan. Preferring a cool and dry climate, the ancestor of the modern cannabis indica strain flourished over the centuries and spread throughout Asia and the Middle East.'"

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A post shared by LilJupiter (@liljupiterr)

The Himalayas, a vast mountain range spanning five countries in Asia — Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan — are known for their rich biodiversity. Locals in various regions refer to cannabis by different names, and the plant has a long history in the region, intertwined with cultural and economic aspects.

In 2024, researchers published a peer-reviewed botanical study in ScienceDirect confirming the presence of wild cannabis in the Himalayan region. They noted that the plant thrives in the "diverse climatic conditions and topography" provided by the mountainous terrain. The study highlighted how the region's unique environmental conditions, including elevation influence and varying temperatures, support the natural propagation of cannabis in the region.

Scientists and horticulturalists have noted that the Himalayan climate particularly supports cannabis growth. The plant's resilience allows it to thrive in both the lower, warmer regions and the higher, cooler altitudes of the Himalayas, where it flourishes naturally. Locals have traditionally traded and used cannabis for various purposes, including as a psychoactive substance in cultural and religious practices, as a valuable medicinal herb, and as a fiber cultivated from hemp, the less-psychoactive variety of the plant.

In 2022, the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine published its "Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India," discussing cannabis history and sociocultural usage in the region:

The history of cannabis use is rooted in the Asian subcontinent. The indigenous strain of Cannabis indica has been growing freely along the Himalayan foothills and adjacent plains of India for centuries. The use of cannabis is a significant part of the religious lives of Hindus from mostly India and Nepal, and it has been represented in various Hindu scriptures. The earliest mention of Bhanga (cannabis preparation) is from the Atharva Veda (2000 BC to 1400 BC), where it is described as a sacred grass alongside alternate connotations of it as Indracana (Food of Gods), Vijaya (Victory), and Amrita (gift).

A 2016 National Geographic article stated that cannabis holds particular historical and cultural significance in the Indian Himalayas. Despite the illegality of cannabis farming in 2016, locals have cultivated and traded cannabis with other communities throughout India for centuries.

Sources like Vice and Atmos Earth have documented the natural growth of cannabis in Northern India, particularly in the Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Their reports feature firsthand accounts and photographic evidence of cannabis plants growing in the wild alongside other native flora.

Extensive historical records, contemporary botanical studies, modern-day scientific evidence, and verification from reputable sources confirm that wild cannabis grows naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.

Snopes has previously written about cannabis legalization and medical marijuana, including the association between cannabis legalization and a reduction in opiate use, and Chelsea Clinton's claim that marijuana use can be fatal.

Sources:

Compton, Natalie B. "The Farms of Northern India Are Laced with Cannabis." Vice, 28 Jan. 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.

---. "The Farms of Northern India Are Laced with Cannabis." Vice, 28 Jan. 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.

Fordjour, Eric, et al. "Cannabis: A Multifaceted Plant with Endless Potentials." Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 14, June 2023, p. 1200269. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1200269.

Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/liljupiterr/p/CuDq4F5tcZj/?img_index=4. Accessed 20 May 2024.

Jehangir, Sadia, et al. "Distribution of the Cannabis Sativa L. in the Western Himalayas: A Tale of the Ecological Factors behind Its Continuous Invasiveness." Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 49, Jan. 2024, p. e02779. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02779.

Karki, Prakat, and Madhavi Rangaswamy. "A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India." Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. 2, Mar. 2023, pp. 105–16. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.

---. "A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India." Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. 2, Mar. 2023, pp. 105–16. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.

"Rebuilding a Hemp Ecosystem in the High Himalayas." Atmos, 24 May 2020, https://atmos.earth/hemp-cannabis-himalayas-farming-history/.

Reckong Peo: Home to The Greatest Himalayan Peaks | India.Com. 13 Apr. 2019, https://www.india.com/travel/articles/reckong-peo-home-to-the-greatest-himalayan-peaks-3631632/.

"See Inside the Himalayan Villages That Grow Cannabis." Science, 1 Feb. 2016, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160201-indian-himalayan-cannabis-farm-photos.

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