Nevil Schoenmakers, the «King of Cannabis», dies aged 62

Nevil Schoenmakers, who had been dubbed by High Times magazine “ThThe King of Cannabis”, passed away last Saturday at the age of 62 in Western Australia. In the 1980s, he founded the world’s first cannabis seed bank: The Seed Bank of Holland. A look back at a key figure in cannabis culture who made it accessible to the breeding and the growing.

Biography

Born to Dutch parents on Australian soil, Nevil originally worked as a breeder a bird enthusiast, and a cannabis dealer in his spare time. His knowledge of genetics and his love of cannabis eventually came together toward a common goal: to create new cannabis strains that are better, more potent, and better suited to the northern climate. He then traveled the world in search of seeds from Indica, Sativa, and Ruderalis with the goal of gathering the best genetics and creating a seed bank, which he set up in the Netherlands, where it is legal.

In 1984, he began placing ads in the High Times Magazine and his business took off. He gained international recognition and earned thousands of dollars by shipping seeds all over the world. “If you bought seeds in the »80s, it was probably through the Seed Bank,” writes Todd McCormick, a well-known cannabis activist and journalist, in an Instagram post paying tribute to Nevil Schoenmakers.

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The King of Cannabis later moved into a castle in Holland: the famous Castle of Cannabis, now owned by Ben Dronkers, where he has his laboratories, grow rooms, and conducts genetic crossbreeding. It was there that some of the King’s most popular strains were created, strains that have left an indelible mark on the history of cannabis. “His contribution to the cannabis community is undeniable; the strains that have passed through his hands have become legendary,» writes Todd McCormick.

In the 1990s, he sold The Seed Bank of Holland to Ben Dronkers, who then becomes the Sensi Seeds Bank. Nevil then created the Greenhouse Seeds with Arjan Roskam He then withdrew from the cannabis business while continuing to advocate for the legalization of medical cannabis in Australia.

The Operation Green Merchant

Of course, although it's legal in the Netherlands, the business of King of Cannabis caught the attention of the U.S. DEA, which launched a manhunt in the late 1980s called «Operation »Green Merchant". Nevil Schoenmakers is wanted in connection with 44 complaints involving the sale of cannabis seeds, primarily in the New Orleans area, as well as for the illegal use of the U.S. Postal Service and for conspiracy and participation in organized crime.

While traveling in Australia, he was arrested by local police at the request of U.S. authorities. Released on bail of 100,000$ and awaiting extradition, he fled to the Netherlands. The Dutch government refused to extradite him because his business was legal under Dutch law and he held the necessary licenses. The charges against him were ultimately dropped.

Danny Danko, renowned publisher of High Times, explains that’in the era of « Just Say No »and the war on drugs launched by President Nixon, distributing cannabis seeds around the world was a highly political act: «The advertisements for the Seed Bank by Nevil on the back covers of magazines High Times have launched countless cultivation projects around the world. Many of the varieties we consume today are hybrids created from the original genetic material that he and others like him courageously shared with the world, even at the risk of their freedom.».

The King's Legacy