Claim:
Authentic photos show wild cannabis growing naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.
evaluation:
Social media users such as Reddit and Instagram have widely spread the claim that wild cannabis grows naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas. Users in communities like r/pics and r/tree share images of cannabis plants growing in the Himalayas. These posts sparked curiosity and discussion 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 features vivid images of cannabis plants and the claim that “cannabis grows naturally in the Himalayas,” and the platform This has generated a lot of curiosity from the readers above.
Similarly, Instagram users have also been posting images of cannabis plants that they claim were taken in natural environments in the Himalayas. In June 2023, user @liljupiterr shared a post that received approximately 35,000 likes. Along with a series of snapshots showcasing the abundance of cannabis plants growing on the mountainside and local women carrying their harvests on their heads, the poster wrote the following caption: “The Himalayas. Marijuana that grows wild in ⛰️
“Most sources agree that the marijuana plant originated in the Himalayas in Tibet, and its historical roots are along the India-Afghanistan border. The ancestors of cannabis indica strains flourished for centuries and spread throughout Asia and the Middle East.
The Himalayas are a vast mountain range spanning five Asian countries: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and are known for their rich biodiversity. Local residents 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 that confirmed the presence of wild cannabis in the Himalayan region. They noted that the plant grows in the “diverse climatic conditions and topography” afforded by mountainous regions. The study highlights how the region's unique environmental conditions, including altitude effects and temperature variations, support the natural reproduction of cannabis in the region.
Scientists and horticulturists note that the Himalayan climate is particularly conducive to cannabis growth. The plant's resilience allows it to grow in both the lower, warmer regions of the Himalayas and the higher, cooler elevations, where it thrives naturally. Local people have traditionally traded 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, a less psychoactive variety. , I have used it.
In 2022, the Indian Journal of Psychiatry published a review of the historical background and current research on cannabis use in India, which discussed the history and sociocultural use of cannabis in the region.
The history of cannabis use is rooted in the Asian subcontinent. Indigenous strains of Cannabis Indica have been growing freely along the Himalayan foothills and adjacent plains of India for centuries. Cannabis use is an important part of the religious life of Hindus, primarily in India and Nepal, and is expressed in various Hindu scriptures. The earliest mention of bhanga (cannabis preparation) is in the Atharva Veda (2000 BC to 1400 BC), where it is described as a sacred grass, with other connotations such as indrakana (food of the gods), vijaya (victory), and amrita. I am. (gift).
A 2016 National Geographic article states that cannabis has special historical and cultural significance in the Indian Himalayas. Despite cannabis cultivation becoming illegal in 2016, locals have been growing it and trading it with other communities across India for centuries.
Sources such as Vice and Atmos Earth have documented the natural cultivation of cannabis in northern India, particularly in Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Their report features first-hand accounts and photographic evidence of cannabis plants growing in the wild alongside other native plants.
Extensive historical records, modern botanical research, modern scientific evidence, and verification from reliable sources confirm that wild cannabis grows naturally and abundantly in the Himalayas.
Snopes has previously written about marijuana legalization and medical marijuana, including the link between marijuana legalization and a decline in opiate use and Chelsea Clinton's claims that marijuana use can be deadly. are.
source of information
Compton, Natalie B. “Farms in northern India are laced with cannabis.” Vice, January 28, 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of -northern-india-are-laced-with-cannabis.
—. “The farms of northern India are infested with cannabis.” Vice, January 28, 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgx7e8/the-farms-of-northern-india- are-laced-with-cannabis.
Ford Juhl, Eric, et al. “Cannabis: a multifaceted plant with endless potential,” Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. June 14, 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 May 20, 2024.
Jehangir, Sadia et al. “Distribution of Cannabis sativa L. in the western Himalayas: A story of the ecological factors behind its continued invasion,” Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 49, January 2024, p. e02779 . ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02779.
Kalki, Prakat and Madhavi Rangaswamy. “Review of Historical Background and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. March 2, 2023, pages 105-16. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.
—. “Review of Historical Background and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 45, no. March 2, 2023, pages 105-16. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221109272.
“Reconstructing the Hemp Ecosystem in the Himalayas,” Atmos, May 24, 2020, https://atmos.earth/hemp-cannabis-himalayas-farming-history/.
Rekong Peo: Home of the highest peak in the Himalayas | Indocom. April 13, 2019, https://www.india.com/travel/articles/reckong-peo-home-to-the-greatest-himalayan-peaks-3631632/.
“Look inside a Himalayan village that grows cannabis.” Science, February 1, 2016, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160201-indian-himalayan-cannabis-farm-photos.
