Arjan Roskam: King of Cannabis, Green House Seeds & Controversies – A Controversial Legend

Arjan Roskam is one of the best-known, but also most controversial personalities in the cannabis scene. As the founder of Green House Seed Company, he shaped the commercial rise of strains such as White Widow, Super Silver Haze and Hawaiian Snow. With his “Strain Hunter” documentaries and the title “King of Cannabis”, he became a media figure – celebrated and criticized at the same time. Today you can find out how Arjan went from stoner to entrepreneur, who his partners were and why his role in the cannabis world is not without contradiction. Back to all cannabis legends.

Arjan Roskam: From enthusiast to “King of Cannabis”

Born in the Netherlands, Arjan Roskam began setting up coffee shops and his own seed line in the early 1990s. Together with Scott Blakey (Shantibaba) and Nevil Schoenmakers, he developed some of the most successful strains ever – many of which won the High Times Cannabis Cup several times.

He staged himself as a visionary early on: his goal was to make cannabis socially acceptable worldwide – with business, research and media presence. Today, Green House not only includes coffee shops, but also a large seed bank, the media label “Strain Hunters” and international partnerships in North America and Africa.

  • Founder of Green House Seeds
  • Self-staging as the “King of Cannabis”
  • Internationally active: Africa, Canada, Thailand

Arjan who? 5 things you should know

The true king of cannabis?

  1. He started with coffee shops in Amsterdam
  2. Known for media projects such as Strain Hunters
  3. Dispute with Shantibaba & Nevil over genetic rights
  4. Commercial focus: Award-winning varieties for the mass market
  5. Important figure in the global cannabis business

Varieties like White Widow & Super Lemon Haze

The best-known varieties that have been distributed worldwide under Arjan’s label originate from the collaboration with Shantibaba – including:

These strains became the basis for commercial success in the 1990s – and made Green House Seeds one of the best-known brands worldwide. Many of them are now part of medical hybrids or the basis for modern CBD strains.

Strain Hunters & global presence

In 2008, Arjan started the web series “Strain Hunters” with his long-time partner Franco Loja. In sometimes spectacular documentaries, they traveled to Africa, Asia and South America to secure landraces – often under dangerous conditions.

The series was clicked millions of times on YouTube and made Arjan a leading media figure for international cannabis education. However, critics accuse him of commercially exploiting landraces without fairly involving the countries of origin.

  • Strain Hunters: Popular YouTube documentaries
  • Conservation & hybridization of rare landraces
  • Criticism of ethics & profit orientation

You can find out more about the successful format here: Strain Hunters @ YouTube and here in our YouTube playlist Strain Hunters.

Criticism & controversies: Genetics controversy & commercialization

A central point of criticism of Arjan concerns the property rights to legendary varieties. Breeders such as Shantibaba and Nevil Schoenmakers distanced themselves early on and explained that many varieties originally came from their gene bank. After the split, both parties went their separate ways – with partly identical variety names but different genetics.

Arjan has also been criticized for keeping breeding purely market-oriented – with a focus on awards and high yields. At the same time, he is one of the few who have managed to establish cannabis as a brand worldwide.

  • Genetics dispute with Mr. Nice Seedbank
  • Criticism of commerce & self-promotion
  • Nevertheless: strong global visibility

Green House Genetics in Germany?

Officially, varieties from Green House Seeds are currently not listed as medical flowers in Germany. However, many medical hybrids contain genetic components from the original line of White Widow, SSH & Co (linked above for you). Green House is also active in pharmaceutical cannabis cultivation in several countries.

Arjan himself has clear plans to expand into legal markets such as Thailand, Canada and Germany.

  • No direct medicinal varieties in DE
  • Genetic influence in many hybrids
  • International expansion also in the pharmaceutical sector

That was Arjan Roskam: Any questions?

Arjan Roskam is not a simple figure. He is a visionary, entrepreneur, media maker – and controversial. What nobody denies: His influence on the global cannabis scene is enormous. He brought cannabis to the stage, into YouTube documentaries and to brand maturity.

Whether seen as a hero or a businessman, Arjan Roskam is a legend who has redefined cannabis.

  1. Founder of probably the best-known seed bank in Europe
  2. Commercialized varieties such as White Widow & SSH
  3. Legend with a dark side – and great influence

Cannabis legends: Mr. Nice, Jack Herer & Co.

Cannabis history is rich in legendary personalities – from early activists to genetics pioneers and international dealers. Find out who has shaped this scene here. Names like Shantibaba (Scott Blakey), Mr. Nice or DJ Short – the cannabis world has been shaped by real legends. Here are my legends!

Strainzüchter DJ Short, Erfinder von Blueberry

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