Government-Supported Dutch YouTube Channel Turns Heads By Depicting Effects Of Recreational Drugs

YouTube is a place where viewers can discover cultures from around the world, and in the Netherlands, the local culture sometimes involves the legal consumption of recreation drugs. The year-old YouTube channel Drugslab, which is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, has drawn attention — and its share of controversy — by depicting the effects of drugs that are illegal in many other nations.

The three hosts of Drugslab are Bastiaan Rosman, Rens Polman, and Nellie Sophia Benner. In each episode, at least one of them ingests a foreign substance, whether it be cocaine, Ritalin, or recreational cocoa powder, and documents his or her feelings, bodily sensations, and mood. In one recent installment, Benner chronicled her experience during an LSD trip. She speaks in Dutch, but English subtitles are available.

Drugslab took its first hit in September 2016

and has taken off since then, with viewers fascinated by its frank, didactic approach to illicit material. The channel now has more than 500,000 subscribers, and has drawn ire from some local politicians in the UK, who have decried what they perceive as glamorization of dangerous drugs.

Whether uptight politicians like it or not, Drugslab epitomizes what makes YouTube great. It provides the sort of content that consumers would be hard-pressed to find on American and British TV channels, and wraps its experiences in a bright, positive tone. YouTube, for its own part, has defended Drugslab’s merit. “Drugslab is a channel from a respected national public broadcaster in the Netherlands and aims to educate around the safe use and dangers of drugs,” the video platform said in a statement.