ST. CLOUD — Former Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler Jesse “the Body” Ventura greeted St. Cloud fans Saturday afternoon. As the meet-and-greet hosted by ProFusion CBD and Wellness fizzled out, Ventura gave the St. Cloud Times a sneak peak into his next product — pre and post-workout THC and CBD shooters — alongside smoking preferences and his first marijuana encounter.
“I'm coming out with a pre-workout where you're going to get 35 grams of protein,” Ventura said. “It’s a before and after thing, you’ll first take some before the workout with cannabis giving you energy. When you're done, you’ll take the second part, it'll be the kind of cannabis to help you relax.”
Ventura said the workout products will be available in both CBD and THC options. The THC will highlight cannabis’ more euphoric effects compared to the CBD, Ventura Farms Chief Creative Officer Tabetha Wallace explained.
The workout product is in its development phase with more information expected to be released by the end of summer. Wallace told the St. Cloud Times the product’s packaging is completed but Minnesota-based partner Retro Bakery is fine tuning the finished product. Rather than being an edible to eat or a product to be inhaled, Wallace said the workout option will be a small liquid drink, similar to a shooter.
“I spent my life in a gym. I would have loved to have cannabis that’d give me 35 grams of protein,” Ventura said. “The thing you have to remember about bodybuilding is that 25% of it’s resting, 25% is working out and 50% is what you eat, you need protein.”
Wallace said the THC dosage will be on the smaller side. When asked about the potential safety risks of working out while taking THC, she said studies have proven cannabis can safely enhance the workout experience. Scientists say such products could be helpful for athlete recovery.
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“THC has euphoric effects; we don’t want people jacked up so it's a small amount,” Wallace said.
Ventura was at ProFusion promoting his recently released edible line. He currently offers chocolates and gummies dosed at 5 mg of THC per serving. Chocolates are available at ProFusion for $24.95 a pack with gummies at $18.95.
Ventura’s first time smoking, cannabis preferences
Ventura reminisced upon his first time smoking, telling the St. Cloud Times cannabis changed his life for the better. Growing up in South Minneapolis, the former governor said he was into heavy drinking, and it caught up to him with age.
Eventually, Ventura said University of Minnesota students started making cannabis popular in Minneapolis around the 1960s. He was hanging out with his friends when the group decided to see his friend's brother. His friend’s brother eventually pulled out a cannabis-filled cigarette and the rest was history.
“I remember telling my friends, ‘The (heck) with drinking, this is way better,’” Ventura said.
“You (can rarely) smoke to the point you’re throwing up in the alley. I think everybody who has had alcohol before has found themselves in an alley heaving. When smoking you’re not hungover the next day, dehydrated with your head pounding.”
Now, Ventura told the St. Cloud Times he prefers smoking out of a vape device, something he first tried in country singer Willie Nelson’s living room. He said Nelson had cannabis out for people to try, and when Ventura dabbled with the vape, he knew it was meant for him. Shortly after, Ventura went to get his mail to discover Nelson sent Ventura vaping supplies of his own.
“I like vaping because you don't get the carcinogens you do from burning flower products,” Ventura said.
Ventura’s soft side and cannabis advocacy
Ventura, who authored a marijuana manifesto, has long been an advocate for legalizing the substance, even going before the Minnesota legislature in his efforts to do so. His wife, Theresa Larson Masters, is one of the reasons behind his advocacy. Without cannabis, Ventura said he’s unsure if the two would be celebrating their 50th anniversary next year.
Masters suffered from epilepsy seizures, which stopped once starting medical marijuana.
“I remember cradling her head, stopping her from swallowing her tongue and making sure she's breathing,” Ventura said. “We drove to Colorado in desperation and bought it because we had friends there…I don't want any Minnesotan to have to go through what my wife and I went through.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana use last year and medical use has been legal since 2014. However, the stigma behind cannabis use trickles into advertising, Ventura said, and that’s something he’d like to see change.
“Miller Lite did an entire national campaign — Lite-a-Mania — with me,” Ventura said. “So my complaint is this, why don’t (regulations) treat us as they treat alcohol? Why can't I put my face on cannabis?”
Several local leaders were seen at the event, including Mayor Dave Kleis, State Senator Aric Putnum and mayoral candidate Anne Buckvold.
Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
