MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has announced he is entering the cannabis market as a seller, as the state still figures out retail sales of the drug on the heels of legalizing marijuana for adults last year.
Ventura is launching his own brand of cannabis edibles in partnership with Retro Bakery, which is based in suburban Minneapolis and producing hemp-derived THC edibles under the Jesse Ventura Farms brand, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
“Ventura Farms is my foray into the world of cannabis,” Ventura said in a Wednesday video with rock music playing in the background.
He added, “I’m a huge supporter of the cannabis industry. Cannabis saved my family’s life. And now it’s time for me to return to the cannabis world. And you can join me — Jesse Ventura and Ventura Farms — any time you want. We’re in the game.”
Ventura has said the drug helped his wife get her seizures under control, MPR reported. Retro Bakery said the Ventura-branded edibles will be available for pre-order on April 1, according to MPR.
A former professional wrestler and actor, Ventura shocked the public when he won the race for Minnesota governor as an independent candidate in 1998. He served as governor from 1999 to 2003.
Ventura was one of the first governors in the U.S. to openly support marijuana legalization.
Last year, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults.
This month, the state’s top cannabis regulator said Minnesota probably won’t meet its goal of launching full-scale retail marijuana sales in the first quarter of 2025 because of the time it will take to draft regulations and issue licenses.
Using, possessing and growing marijuana for personal use, within limits, became legal last August. But sales are still a legal gray area.
Currently, only a few tribally owned on-reservation shops are legally allowed to sell recreational marijuana in Minnesota because tribal sovereignty exempts them from state regulation.
