by Demand:
Authentic photographs show wild cannabis growing naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.
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Social media users on platforms such as 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 shown images of cannabis plants thriving in the Himalayan Mountains. These posts sparked curiosity and debate about the authenticity and prevalence of wild cannabis in that region of the world.
For example, a post on r/interestingasf *** Reddit shared in 2020 contained a vivid image of cannabis plants, along with the declaration, “Cannabis grows naturally in the Himalayas”, which generated significant interest from readers on the platform .
Similarly, Instagram users have posted images of cannabis plants they say were grown in natural Himalayan settings. In June 2023, the user @liljupiterr shared a post that has almost 35,000 likes. Along with a series of snaps showing the abundance of cannabis plants growing on a mountainside and a local woman carrying harvested plants on her head, the poster wrote the following explanation: “Marijuana growing naturally in the Himalayas ⛰️
‘ Most sources agree that the marijuana plant originally came from the Himalayan mountains, located in Tibet, with historical roots along the border of India and Afghanistan. Preferring a cool, dry climate, the ancestor of the modern indica breed of cannabis flourished for centuries and spread throughout Asia and the Middle East.'”
The Himalayas, a vast mountain range spanning five countries in Asia – Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan – are known for their rich biodiversity. Local people in different 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 “various climatic and topographical conditions” provided by the mountainous terrain. The study showed how the unique environmental conditions of the region, including the influence of elevation and varying temperatures, support the natural proliferation of cannabis in the region.
Scientists and horticulturists have noted that the Himalayan climate particularly supports the growth of cannabis. The plant’s resilience allows it to thrive in the lower, warmer regions and in the cooler altitudes of the Himalayas, where it grows naturally. Local people have traditionally traded and used cannabis for a variety of purposes, including as a psychoactive substance in cultural and religious practices, as a valuable medicinal herb, and as a fiber cultivated from hemp, the least 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 the history of cannabis and its socio-cultural use in the region:
The history of cannabis use is rooted in the Asian subcontinent. The native strain of it Indica cannabis growing freely along the Himalayan foothills and plains near India for centuries. The use of cannabis is a significant part of the religious life of Hindus mainly from India and Nepal, and is reflected in various Hindu scriptures. The earliest mention of it Bhanga (cannabis preparation) is from the Atharva Veda (2000 BC to 1400 BC), where it is described as a sacred grass alongside alternative meanings as Influenza (Food of the Gods), Vijaya (Victory), and Amrita (gift).
A 2016 National Geographic article stated that cannabis has particular historical and cultural significance in the Indian Himalayas. Despite the illegality of cannabis farming in 2016, locals have been cultivating and trading cannabis with other communities across India for centuries.
Sources such as Vice and Atmos Earth have documented the natural growth of cannabis in Northern India, particularly in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Their reports contain personal accounts and photographic evidence of cannabis plants growing in the wild alongside other native flora.
Extensive historical records, contemporary botanical studies, modern scientific evidence, and verification from credible sources confirm that wild cannabis grows naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.
Snopes has previously written about the legalization of cannabis and medical marijuana, including the association between the legalization of cannabis and a decrease in opiate use, and Chelsea Clinton’s claim that marijuana use can be fatal.
Sources:
Compton, Natalie B. “Cannabis in Northern Indian Farms.” Interest28 January 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.
—. “Cannabis on Northern Indian Farms.” Interest28 January 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.
Fordjour, Eric, et al. “Cannabis: A Versatile Plant with Unparalleled Potential.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 14, June 2023, p. 1200269. PubMed Centralhttps://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 Sativa Cannabis L. in the Western Himalayas: A Story of the Ecological Factors Behind Its Continued Invasions.” Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 49, January 2024, p. at 02779. ScienceDirecthttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02779.
Karki, Prakat, and Madhavi Rangaswamy. “A Review of the Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. 2, March 2023, pp. 105–16. DOI.org (Crossref)https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.
—. “A Review of the Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. 2, March 2023, pp. 105–16. PubMed Centralhttps://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.
“Hemp Ecosystem Reconstruction in the High Himalayas.” Atmos24 May 2020, https://atmos.earth/hemp-cannabis-himalayas-farming-history/.
Reckong Peo: Home of the Largest Himalayan Peaks | India.Com. 13 April 2019, https://www.india.com/travel/articles/reckong-peo-home-to-the-greatest-himalayan-peaks-3631632/.
“A Look Inside the Himalayan Villages That Grow Cannabis.” Science1 Feb. 2016, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160201-indian-himalayan-cannabis-farm-photos.
