Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura Says Moorhead Crowd Cannabis Saved His Family – InForum

MOORHEAD — He got out of his car in the parking lot, looking less like a politician and more like a dad running weekend errands. But even wearing a baseball cap, sneakers and a backpack, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura knew how to command an audience.

Nearly 100 people lined up to meet Ventura at Unwind, a Moorhead store specializing in THC and CBD products.

Ventura, who served as governor from 1999 to 2003, launched his own brand of cannabis edibles this spring. He partnered with Twin Cities-based Retro Bakery, which produces THC hemp-derived edibles under the Jesse Ventura Farms brand.

The products, which include chocolate bars and gummies, are now available at Unwind and other outlets in the state.

It’s been a long time coming for Ventura, who first fought to legalize marijuana during his tenure. He said, fortunately, the issue “stayed on the burner and continued to smolder.”

He said he’ll never forget last summer when Gov. Tim Walz handed him the pen to sign on to legalize and decriminalize cannabis.

“I was very proud to be able, 25 years later, to see something that I always knew should happen,” he said.

Ventura’s support for legalizing cannabis comes from a very personal place.

At a recent Senate hearing and again today at the store, Ventura shared the story of how his wife of nearly 50 years, Terry, suffered terrible seizures. After being given four different seizure medications, nothing worked. So they planned a trip to Colorado, where recreational marijuana was legal.

He said that after three drops of THC tincture under her tongue, she had no more seizures.

“If it wasn’t for cannabis, I wouldn’t be standing here today. It was a lifesaver for me and my family,” he said.

Many who came out to see the former pro wrestler, actor and controversial governor called themselves fans, like Melissa Niecko, who recently moved to Moorhead from Texas and hoped to reconnect with the governor.

“I met him 25 years ago. It was at a sea ball. I was in the Navy and we met in San Diego and I just want to see if he remembers me,” she said with a laugh.

Although Niecko said she had never tried Ventura’s products, she planned to try them.

That was an understatement for another Ventura fan here today.

“We bought everything — the whole line,” said a woman named Tammy, who declined to give her last name.

She said she always liked Ventura because he was never a professional politician.

“I like his attitude. He is so real. I wish he would run for president,” she said.

But the products also put her out. Tammy is an Air Force veteran who said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and cannabis products eased her stress and helped her sleep.

It’s a claim Unwind owner Theresa Sorenson has heard time and time again.

“We have a lot of military that come in and they don’t want to take their prescription drugs anymore. They want something more natural. And actually, cannabis is a natural plant. It’s not made of chemicals,” Sorenson said.

She said she heard about Ventura’s tour of the state just last week and was excited to have him in Moorhead to help educate people about the products that are so new to Minnesota.

She said their staff attended classes to learn about different varieties and products and how they might affect customers and their conditions.

“I don’t want my salespeople to say, ‘I’m just here to sell you.’ I want them to feel like they’re getting a product that’s going to help them,” she said. “You can’t always trust what you get on the streets, so I want a safe place for people to come where the products are state compliant. It’s sure. It is not treated with anything else. You will get the real deal here.”

After today, that includes the former governor’s chocolate bars and gummies, which come in flavors like bubblegum, strawberry and berry gelato.

After taking photos with fans, Ventura signed merchandise packages and even a few action figures.

Take this show on the road all over Minnesota. He visited Breckenridge earlier Saturday and planned a stop at Moorhead’s Junkyard Brewing after his stop at Unwind.

He will be making appearances around the Twin Cities metro area on Sunday.

Ventura, an often colorful and controversial public figure for decades, told the crowd today that while he is being asked to make appearances elsewhere, they will be the only ones he will continue to do. This is how strongly he feels about cannabis.

“I don’t want anyone’s family to go through what we went through,” he said. “Now we just need to get the Dakotas on board with us.”