David Paul Watson, better known as Sam the Skunkman was an American

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed, to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist ...

, who is credited with the development of some of the most popular modern cannabis varieties such as Skunk#1, Haze, and Amnesia, and the apparition of high-

cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid, one of 113 identified cannabinoids in ''Cannabis'', along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. Medically, it is an anticonvulsant used to treat multiple f ...

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

Biography

Watson moved to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in 1985 where he also worked with

Mellow Yellow "Mellow Yellow" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Released in the US in 1966, it reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside the US, "Mellow Yellow" peaked at No. 8 in the UK in early 1967. Content ...

coffeeshop owner Wernard Bruinin. He is credited with bringing the "Haze" cultivar there. His surname "Sam the Skunkman" was coined in Amsterdam from the "skunk" strain he created, described as "a blend of Mexican sativa, Colombian Gold sativa and Afghan indica, distinguished by its high THC content – and, of course, its potent smell". The variety became synonymous with "high potency cannabis" in the media in the 1990s and 2000s. According to ''The New York Times'':

In those years, emissaries of California's counterculture were often traveling the world looking for unique landraces of cannabis. The most influential of these collectors was a man named David Watson. In the early 70s, Mr. Watson sold his possessions and began hitchhiking from Morocco to India, befriending local pot growers along the way.

Watson also contributed to horticultural research on the pests and diseases of industrial cannabis (hemp) crops. Watson died on January 27, 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam the Skunkman History of cannabis Cannabis cultivation People involved in cannabis American agronomists Cannabis in the United States Cannabis in the Netherlands Possibly living people Year of birth missing