'Jimi Hendrix is smiling': Jesse Ventura hails Minnesota’s legalization of recreational cannabis

30 May 2023

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura (I) on Tuesday praised incumbent Governor Tim Walz (D) right before Walz signed the nation's 23rd law legalizing recreational cannabis.

Ventura, Heartland Signal recalled, "became a vocal pro-cannabis advocate after the plant stopped his wife Terry's seizures despite the couple having to travel to Colorado to get it."

Ventura referenced his family's experience in his brief remarks.

"Thank you on behalf of myself and First Lady Terry Ventura," Ventura began.

"This is a huge day in our family's life because prohibition will now end. It's gone on longer than I've been alive, the prohibition of a plant made by God. Well, we were always told everything was here for us to use. Now in Minnesota, we will be able to use this plant. After years of prohibition, we didn't want any families to go through what the first lady and I went through. We don't want anyone to have to ever do that in Minnesota. Now, today, they will never have to, because prohibition will end today on cannabis," Ventura explained.

"And I guess I'll finish by saying, for me personally, it's very wonderful to see a dream of yours over twenty years ago finally happen today, and I'm still alive to see it. Governor Walz, thank you. The legislature, thank you," the retired professional wrestler beamed. "You are the ones that did it. You got it done and you deserve a pat on the back for that. And what press conference would there be if Jesse Ventura didn't leave with something said controversial? Right? Right? So I'll end it by saying this — Jimmy Hendrix is looking down on Minnesota smiling today."

Following Ventura's statement, Walz delivered his own address.

"Well, good afternoon everyone. Thank you for taking some time on this beautiful day to come up here. In just a moment, we are going to sign the legislation to make recreational and adult-use cannabis available in Minnesota. We will become I believe, the 23rd state. The eleven other states have homegrown cannabis. But this has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved. What we know right now is prohibition does not work," Walz said.

"We've criminalized a lot of folks who are gonna start the expungement process on those records. We have a situation where buying cannabis on the streets is dangerous with the things from fentanyl to xylazine to the other things we're starting to see show up. It makes sense to have that. We also know we have a lot of folks here — and you're gonna get to hear from some of those — who have been at this for a long time. They've made the case around medicinal cannabis, around pain relief, around the ability to treat many things that they know makes a difference, plus the fact of being adults need to make their own decisions around these types of choices," the governor added. "There you go."

According to Heartland Signal, "the legislation takes effect on August 1st and "will allow adults over the age of 21 to possess no more than two ounces of marijuana flower in public and up to two pounds at their place of residence. The regulation and sale of marijuana will be taxed at 10% and overseen by the new Office of Cannabis Management. All prior low-level misdemeanor convictions will be automatically expunged from criminal records, and more severe offenses will be looked at by a new review board."

Watch the speeches below or at this link.

Heartland Signal's article continues here.

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