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Mongolia

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Mongolia
Монгол Улс (Mongol Uls)
The Maikhan Tolgoi tourist camp by Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Arkhangai Province
The Maikhan Tolgoi tourist camp by Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Arkhangai Province
Capital Ulaanbaatar
Continent Asia
Subregion East Asia
Cannabis Status
Legal Status Illegal
Status Since 2002
Enforcement Wild stands destroyed by the police and local governors; prison terms for illegal cultivation
Documentation
Growing Regions 0
Growing Areas 0
Accessions 19


Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, between Russia and China. Cannabis grows wild there. In 2022 the police reported it from 11 provinces and the capital and destroyed it on 1,924 hectares.[1] The Mongolian name of the plant, олс (ols), also means rope.[2]

Production, sale and use of narcotic drugs are prohibited except for the purposes the law of 2002 allows.[3] A list of narcotic plants growing in Mongolia, approved in 1995, names cultivated and weedy hemp.[4] Illegal sowing or growing is punished by one to five years' imprisonment or restriction of the right to travel.[5]

Geography

A herbarium sheet with a leafy cannabis stem and a flowering branch bearing broad palmate leaves, a small map of Mongolia and a printed label at the foot.
Gubanov 10186, gathered in 1985 in open elm woodland on the stony left bank of the Nömrög, in the spurs of the Greater Khingan in Dornod Province.

A research report of 2016 put the plant on about 15,000 hectares in more than 40 districts (sums) of 14 provinces.[6] A police officer cited a study of about 10,000 hectares in 2014, of which about 4,000 were active.[7] In 2014 the police destroyed stands in the northern provinces of Darkhan-Uul, Selenge and Orkhon.[7]

In the east, I. A. Gubanov found the plant in 1985 on waste ground near a frontier detachment at Erdenetsagaan in Sükhbaatar Province, where it was very plentiful. In Dornod Province he found it in open elm woodland on the stony bank of the Nömrög, a tributary of the Khalkhin Gol, and in 1990 on a littered patch of the Onon floodplain.[8][9][10]

The annotated checklist of the native flora of Mongolia published in 2022 leaves out Cannabis sativa, which it counts among 59 non-native taxa of the previous checklist.[11]

Demographics

Communities with cannabis relationships

Stub
This section is incomplete. Add sources and expand it.

Agriculture

Cannabis is a weed of wheat fields. It made up 1.2 per cent of the weeds counted in wheat fields at Bornuur in Töv Province[12] and 1.1 per cent in a field at Tsagaannuur in Selenge Province in 2016–2017.[13]

Cannabis in Mongolia

In A Modern Mongolian-English Dictionary (1986), олс means both hemp and rope; олсон дээс is hemp rope. Wild hemp, Cannabis ruderalis, is зэрлэг олс (zerleg ols); a second word for it is хиам (khiam). Hempseed is сумранз (sumranz).[2] The list of narcotic plants of 1995 names Таримал олс (tarimal ols, cultivated hemp), printed against Connabis sativa, and Хогийн олс (khogiin ols, weedy hemp), against Cannabis ruderalis.[4] The police speak of зэрлэг олсны ургамал, the wild "rope plant".[7] A journalist wrote in 2014 that the plant is called олс because it was once made into strong rope that did not break.[14]

History

Expeditions and herbaria (1924–2007)

Nikolai Vavilov noted in 1926 that V. E. Pisarev had reported weedy hemp from northern Mongolia.[15] N. V. Pawlow of the expedition of P. K. Kozlov gathered Pawlow 618 on 9 July 1924 in stony stream beds in the mountains.[16] Zamatkinov 103/11 followed in 1927 from a hollow valley between two table-lands.[17] O. V. Zhurba gathered cannabis in 1974.[18] I. A. Gubanov's sheets of 1985 from the east, on labels printed for the herbarium of the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Mongolian People's Republic, name the plant Cannabis ruderalis. The Moscow University Herbarium holds these sheets.[8][9] K. Pistrick and Č. Sančir of the Mongolian–German expedition gathered a sheet near Matad in 1987.[19]

Drug law (1991–2026)

Mongolia acceded to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs on 6 May 1991,[20] to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances on 15 December 1999[21] and to the 1988 convention against illicit traffic on 25 June 2003.[22] The law on natural plants of 11 April 1995 gave the environment and health ministries the task of approving a list of plants with narcotic substances.[23] Their joint order of 24 October 1995 approved the list and told the provincial and capital governors' offices to supervise the gathering, use and planting of these plants.[24][4]

The first law on the control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances followed in 2002.[3][25] The police began destroying the wild plant in 2013.[7] The Criminal Code adopted on 3 December 2015 has applied since 1 July 2017.[5] In 2017 the government approved a national programme against the illicit circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.[26] In 2022 the ministers of justice, environment and agriculture approved a joint plan, Устгал (Ustgal, "destruction"), against the wild plant.[1] An amendment of 2023 to the law on natural plants added the ban on gathering, using or planting narcotic plants by citizens.[23]

Cultivation

Wild-type plants and genetics

Seed of cannabis was gathered in Mongolia in September 2018 at Dadal in Khentii Province, Khalzan in Sükhbaatar Province and Baruunburen in Selenge Province. Plants grown from it in a growth chamber are vouchered at the Institut Botànic de Barcelona as IBB-MNG-KHE-0920180001, IBB-MNG-SUK-0920180001 and IBB-MNG-SEL-0920180001.[27][28][29] A phylogeographic study of 2025, two of whose authors work at the Botanic Garden of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, set out to fill gaps that earlier genetic studies had left, which included no wild-growing samples from Mongolia. It found the plants of eastern Mongolia in an East Asian group with those of northern China, sister to the other two main groups. The plants of western Mongolia fell in a Eurosiberian subgroup with plants from Europe, Russia and Central Asia. The authors suggest that the most recent common ancestor of cannabis might have arisen near northern China and eastern Mongolia.[30] A survey of genome size in 2022 included Mongolian accessions, all but one of the individuals studied being diploid; the smallest genome measured, 1.810 picograms per 2C, was that of a Mongolian plant.[31]

Preparations and consumption

In the Global School-based Student Health Survey of 2013, 1.1 per cent of Mongolian pupils had used cannabis in the past month.[32] In 2014 the police seized 13,841 grams of cannabis and 15.5 grams of hashish nationwide.[6] In 2023 the General Police Department said that cannabis, or "grass", was not officially approved internationally for treating cancer. It added that there was no clinical evidence that CBD treats it.[33]

Trade and commerce

The trade publication HempToday reported in 2019 that Hemp Mongolia, a company founded in 2015, was the first in the country authorised by the health ministry to farm and process hemp and to export CBD oils. It added that the company had put in a first trial crop in Khentii that year.[34] A Mongolian news site described it in 2020 as the only company with permission to plant and sell hemp.[35]

The law of 2002 defines the production of narcotic drugs to include gathering wild plants with narcotic action, planting and growing them, harvesting, purifying and processing them. Production, sale, use and consumption for purposes other than those the law allows are prohibited. The central body for the environment supervises the distribution of the plants.[3] Under article 20 of the law on natural plants, citizens and unauthorised organisations may not gather, use or plant plants with narcotic substances.[23]

The Criminal Code of 2015 punishes illegally preparing, keeping, giving to others or obtaining a prohibited narcotic drug or its raw material without intent to sell with one to five years' restriction of the right to travel or imprisonment (article 20.7). Illegally sowing or growing the raw material of narcotic drugs carries the same penalty (article 20.10).[5] In 2023 the police said that crimes involving narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their raw materials were punished with one to 20 years' or life imprisonment.[33]

Enforcement

In 2013, by official figures, 17 of the 34 drug cases in the country involved the wild plant.[14] A police officer said in 2014 that its gathering made up half of drug crimes.[7] The research report of 2016 put crimes involving cannabis-type plants at 50 to 60 per cent of the drug crimes registered by the police.[6]

The police began destroying the wild plant in 2013. In 2014 the justice ministry and the police leadership gave the work a budget. The police then destroyed stands again in Darkhan-Uul, Selenge and Orkhon.[7] Mongolia told the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2019 that in 2018 cannabis plants had been destroyed on 1,800 hectares in 49 districts of 11 provinces.[25] The joint measure of 2022 was funded with 84,314,280 tögrög from local crime-prevention councils and the governors' reserve funds. It destroyed the wild plant on 1,924.36 hectares in 11 provinces and the capital.[1] Specialists quoted in the report of 2016 expected that destroying the plant before it shed seed, in May and June, for three years running could eliminate it.[6]

Growing Regions

Landrace cannabis growing regions currently documented on the wiki: No growing regions documented yet.

Growing Areas

Landrace cannabis growing areas currently documented on the wiki: No growing areas documented yet.

Accessions

Map

List

Accession IDNamePriorityCollectedArea
Dariymaa 1804 (1987)Dariymaa 1804 herbarium specimen, Khalkhin Gol valley, Dornod (1987)
Dariymaa 643 (1989)Dariymaa 643 herbarium specimen, Eren-Daba range, Khentii (1989)
Gubanov 10186 (1985)Gubanov 10186 herbarium specimen, Nömrög river, Dornod (1985)
Gubanov 291 (1990)Gubanov 291 herbarium specimen, Onon floodplain, Dornod (1990)
Gubanov 3857 (1980)Gubanov 3857 herbarium specimen, Orkhon river south of Bulgan (1980)
Gubanov 43 (1991)Gubanov 43 herbarium specimen, Kherlen-Tongo mountain, Khentii (1991)
Gubanov 9573 (1985)Gubanov 9573 herbarium specimen, Erdenetsagaan, Sükhbaatar (1985)
Gubanov 9616 (1985)Gubanov 9616 herbarium specimen, Erdenetsagaan, Sükhbaatar (1985)
Gubanov 9616a (1985)Gubanov 9616a herbarium specimen, Erdenetsagaan, Sükhbaatar (1985)
IBB-MNG-KHE-09201800012018 IBB Mongolia 1 Dadal Reproduction
IBB-MNG-SEL-09201800012018 IBB Mongolia 9 Baruunburen Reproduction
IBB-MNG-SUK-09201800012018 IBB Mongolia 4 Khalzan Reproduction
Kamelin 437 (2007)Kamelin 437 herbarium specimen, Selenga floodplain, Ikh-Uul, Khövsgöl (2007)
Kamelin 675 (1987)Kamelin 675 herbarium specimen, Nömrög valley, Dornod (1987)
Pawlow 618 (1924)Pawlow 618 herbarium specimen, Kozlov expedition, Mongolia (1924)
Pistrick 182 (1987)Pistrick 182 herbarium specimen, Bajanchangoj, Matad, Dornod (1987)
Zamatkinov 103/11 (1927)Zamatkinov 103/11 herbarium specimen, Alkha-khoshun gobi, eastern Mongolia (1927)
Zhurba 1855 (1974)Zhurba 1855 herbarium specimen, Tuul bank near Songino, Ulaanbaatar (1974)
Zhurba 486 (1975)Zhurba 486 herbarium specimen, Bayankhangai, Matad, Dornod (1975)

Conservation status

The wild plant is the target of destruction campaigns.[1] The native flora checklist of 2022 treats Cannabis sativa as non-native.[11] Plants grown in a growth chamber in 2021 from Mongolian seed gathered in 2018 are vouchered in Barcelona.[27]

Recent news

No recent news items.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Гэмт хэргээс урьдчилан сэргийлэх ажлын 2022 оны үйл ажиллагааны төлөвлөгөөний биелэлт (PDF) (Report) (in монгол). Ulaanbaatar. 8 December 2022. p. 15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hangin, Gombojab (1986). A Modern Mongolian-English Dictionary. With John R. Krueger, Paul D. Buell, William V. Rozycki and Robert G. Service. Indiana University, Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies – via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Мансууруулах эм, сэтгэцэд нөлөөт бодисын эргэлтэд хяналт тавих тухай(Монгол Улсын хууль), 28 November 2002, arts. 3.1.3, 8.1 and 14.3.Mongolia.Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Joint Order No. 139/A/148 of the Minister of Nature and Environment and the Minister of Health: list of plants with narcotic substances growing in Mongolia" (PDF). FAOLEX (in монгол). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Эрүүгийн хууль(Монгол Улсын хууль), 3 December 2015, arts. 20.7 and 20.10.Mongolia.Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Хар тамхи, мансууруулах, сэтгэцэд нөлөөлөх бодистой холбоотой гэмт хэргийн нөхцөл байдал: судалгааны ажлын тайлан (Report) (in монгол). 2016.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Заяа, Б. (25 July 2014). "Б.Батзориг: Зэрлэг олсны ургамал түүх нь хар тамхины хэргийн 50 хувийг эзэлдэг". Зууны мэдээ (in монгол). Retrieved 12 October 2026 – via iKon.mn.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Specimen MW0175119: Cannabis sativa L." Moscow Digital Herbarium. Moscow State University. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Specimen MW0175111: Cannabis sativa L." Moscow Digital Herbarium. Moscow State University. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Specimen MW0175115: Cannabis sativa L." Moscow Digital Herbarium. Moscow State University. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Baasanmunkh, S.; Urgamal, M.; Oyuntsetseg, B.; et al. (2022). "Flora of Mongolia: annotated checklist of native vascular plants". PhytoKeys. 192: 63–169. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.192.79702.
  12. ↑ Azzaya, T.; Otgonsuren, M. (2014). "Result of application of herbicides for controlling the weeds in wheat field". Mongolian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 13 (2): 80–83. doi:10.5564/mjas.v13i2.522.
  13. ↑ Azzaya, T.; Otgonsuren, M. (2018). "The herbicide effect for controlling the weeds in wheat field". Mongolian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 23 (1): 26–29. doi:10.5564/mjas.v23i01.1017.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Энхтуяа, Э. (11 March 2014). "Мансуурагчид хойд хил рүү "довтлох уу?"". Өдрийн шуудан (in монгол). Retrieved 12 October 2026 – via iKon.mn.
  15. ↑ Vavilov, N.I. (1926). Центры происхождения культурных растений [Studies on the origin of cultivated plants] (in русский). Leningrad: Всесоюзный институт прикладной ботаники и новых культур. pp. 107–121 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ "Specimen MW0175122: Cannabis sativa L." Moscow Digital Herbarium. Moscow State University. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  17. ↑ "Occurrence 1931188615: Cannabis sativa L." GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "Specimen MW0175120: Cannabis sativa L." Moscow Digital Herbarium. Moscow State University. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Occurrence 1799079492: Cannabis sativa L." GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961". United Nations Treaty Collection. Chapter VI, 15. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Convention on Psychotropic Substances". United Nations Treaty Collection. Chapter VI, 16. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  22. ↑ "United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances". United Nations Treaty Collection. Chapter VI, 19. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Байгалийн ургамлын тухай(Монгол Улсын хууль), 11 April 1995, art. 20.Mongolia.Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  24. ↑ Жагсаалт батлах тухай (Монгол оронд ургадаг мансууруулах бодис бүхий ургамлын жагсаалт)(Байгаль орчны сайд, Эрүүл мэндийн сайдын хамтарсан тушаал No. 139/А/148), 24 October 1995.Mongolia.Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Gankhuurai, Battungalag (14 March 2019). "Statement by Ambassador Battungalag Gankhuurai, Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations in Vienna, at the Ministerial Segment of the 62nd Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs" (PDF). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  26. ↑ Мансууруулах эм, сэтгэцэд нөлөөт бодисын хууль бус эргэлттэй тэмцэх үндэсний хөтөлбөр батлах тухай(Монгол Улсын Засгийн газрын тогтоол No. 77), 7 March 2017.Mongolia.Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Occurrence 5797307607: Cannabis sativa L." GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  28. ↑ "Occurrence 5797313367: Cannabis sativa L." GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "Occurrence 5797306385: Cannabis sativa L." GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  30. ↑ Balant, Manica; Vitales, Daniel; Wang, Zhiqiang; et al. (2025). "Integrating target capture with whole genome sequencing of recent and natural history collections to explain the phylogeography of wild-growing and cultivated cannabis". Plants, People, Planet. 7 (6): 1771–1788. doi:10.1002/ppp3.70043.
  31. ↑ Balant, M.; Rodríguez González, R.; Garcia, S.; Garnatje, T.; Pellicer, J.; Vallès, J.; Vitales, D.; Hidalgo, O. (2022). "Novel insights into the nature of intraspecific genome size diversity in Cannabis sativa L." Plants. 11 (20) 2736. doi:10.3390/plants11202736.
  32. ↑ Peltzer, K.; Pengpid, S. (2017). "Cannabis and amphetamine use among adolescents in five Asian countries". Central Asian Journal of Global Health. 6 (1). doi:10.5195/cajgh.2017.288.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Намуунцэцэг, Э. (29 March 2023). "ЦЕГ: Каннабис буюу өвсийг олон улсад хорт хавдрын эсрэг эмчилгээнд хэрэглэхийг албан ёсоор зөвшөөрөөгүй". iKon.mn (in монгол). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  34. ↑ "Startup seeks investors for hemp 'bridge' between Asia, Europe". HempToday. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  35. ↑ Сансармаа, Г. (4 September 2020). "Монгол Улс хар тамхины төрлийн ургамал экспортолж эхэлнэ". Eguur.mn (in монгол). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
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