A 45-minute podcast about «cannabis king» Arjan Roskam

Podcast producer Initial Studio offers three 15-minute episodes on the career of a personality well known to the cannabis world and to readers of Newsweed Arjan Roskam. This Dutchman is the owner of the coffeeshops Green House and producer of the Strain Hunters. He has also won 40 cannabis cups, and calls himself the «king of cannabis».

The podcast is available here.

Initial Studio adapts a TV series into an audio version. The channel 13ème Rue has broadcast in 2015, as part of a series of reports on «Criminals 2.0». «We wanted to introduce people we know from afar, without necessarily knowing their background.», explains Sarah Koskievic, editorial producer.

In the title, the bias is clear: Arjan Roskam is classified as «Criminal 2.0». The Dutchman has always played with the limits of the law. «That's the interesting thing - it's all a question of point of view!, adds the producer. Of course, he's also an entrepreneur... but legally, he's a drug baron. We do our job as journalists: we give as much information as possible so that everyone can make up their own minds.»

«Tintin the Adventurer in the Land of Magic Cannabis»

The first episode traces Roskam's early career. The Dutchman begins by opening coffeeshops in his home town of Amsterdam, with a flair for marketing. He brings in cannabis varieties with a penchant for those with high THC levels. Unfortunately, there's no escaping a doctor who compares THC levels with the fact that you can't stop smoking. «on a sofa watching TV».

Initial Studio then takes us into the world of show business, that Arjan Roskam is particularly fond of. He attracts all the American stars to his stores, takes photos of them and posts them on the wall. The effect is guaranteed. We also learn that it was in 2001 that the Dutchman named himself «cannabis king» after winning his first cannabis cup... by putting the jury in his pocket.

Then comes his stroke of genius. Cannabis is banned from sale? No problem, let's sell seeds! «It hardly seems believable, says the podcast's narrator, but these little cannabis seeds are not considered drugs.» Thus was born Green House Seed Company, the online seed bank that sells worldwide.

Always on the cusp of legality - something the podcast never fails to remind us of - Arjan starts making videos. At the birth of YouTube, he began with tutorials on how to grow cannabis. Then came the famous Strain Hunters, based on the Crocodile Hunters.

The podcast sets the scene for this series of videos. They are «presented as reports», but are in fact «advertising» for Arjan and his various businesses. It's also a way of making his character likable, in the way that «Tintin the Adventurer in the Land of Magic Cannabis», laughs one participant.

Arjan Roskam, the king of cannabis. A three-part podcast from Initial Studio. Written and directed by Chloé Laffeter, editorial production by Sarah Koskievic. Available on the Slate website.