Claim:
Authentic photos show wild cannabis growing naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.
Judgement:
Social media users on platforms like Reddit and Instagram have widely spread 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 blooming in the Himalayas. These reports have sparked curiosity and debate about the authenticity and prevalence of wild cannabis in that part of the world.
For example, a post on Reddit’s r/interestingasf*** shared in 2020 featured a vivid image of cannabis plants, as well as the claim: “Cannabis grows naturally in the Himalayas,” sparking great curiosity among readers on the platform.
Similarly, Instagram users have posted images of cannabis plants that they claim were taken in a natural environment in the Himalayas. In June 2023, user @liljupiterr shared a post that received almost 35,000 likes. Along with a series of photos 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 grows naturally in the Himalayas ⛰️
‘Most sources agree that the marijuana plant originated in the Himalayan Mountains, located in Tibet, with historical roots along the border of India and Afghanistan. The ancestor of the modern cannabis Indica strain preferred a cool and dry climate and thrived over the centuries, spreading across 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. Locals in different regions call 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” that the mountainous terrain provides. The research highlighted how the region’s unique environmental conditions, including elevation and varying temperatures, support the natural spread of cannabis in the region.
Scientists and horticulturists have noted that the climate in the Himalayas is especially supportive of 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 thrives naturally. Locals 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 grown 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’, which discussed cannabis history and socio-cultural use in the region:
The history of cannabis use has its origins in the Asian subcontinent. The native species of Cannabis indica has been growing freely along the foothills of the Himalayas and the adjacent plains of India for centuries. The use of cannabis is an important part of the religious life of Hindus mainly from India and Nepal, and is represented in various Hindu scriptures. The earliest mention of Bhanga (cannabis preparation) comes from the Atharva Veda (2000 BCE to 1400 BCE), where it is described as a sacred grass, in addition to its alternative connotations as Indracana (Food of Gods), Vijaya (Victory), and Amrita (gift).
A 2016 National Geographic article stated that cannabis has special historical and cultural significance in the Indian Himalayas. Despite the illegality of cannabis cultivation in 2016, local residents have been cultivating and trading cannabis with other communities across India for centuries.
Sources like Vice and Atmos Earth have documented the natural growth of cannabis in northern India, especially in the Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Their reports include first-hand 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 by 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 link 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.” ShameJanuary 28, 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.
—. “The farms of northern India are littered with cannabis.” ShameJanuary 28, 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 Endless Possibilities.” Frontiers in pharmacology, full. June 14, 2023, p. 1200269. PubMed Centralhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1200269.
Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/liljupiterr/p/CuDq4F5tcZj/?img_index=4. Accessed May 20, 2024.
Jehangir, Sadia, et al. “Distribution of the Cannabis sativa L. in the Western Himalayas: A Story of the Ecological Factors Behind its Continued Invasion.” Global ecology and nature conservation, full. 49, January 2024, p. e02779. 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, full. 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, full. 45, no. 2, March 2023, pp. 105–16. PubMed Centralhttps://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.
“Rebuilding a Hemp Ecosystem in the High Himalayas.” AtmosMay 24, 2020, https://atmos.earth/hemp-cannabis-himalayas-farming-history/.
Reckong Peo: Home to the Himalayas’ Greatest Peaks | India.Com. April 13, 2019, https://www.india.com/travel/articles/reckong-peo-home-to-the-greatest-himalayan-peaks-3631632/.
“Look at the villages in the Himalayas where cannabis is grown.” ScienceFebruary 1, 2016, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160201-indian-himalayan-cannabis-farm-photos.