Jim Carlson is an American businessman and the Grassroots Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election.
Carlson was the owner of Last Place on Earth, a head shop located in Duluth, Minnesota.[1] In September 2011, the shop was raided by police for selling bath salts and synthetic marijuana.[2] After the raid, Carlson filed a lawsuit to strike down Minnesota's ban on the substances. His suit was dismissed by the court in November 2011.[3][4][5]
In June 2012, Carlson began a bid for U.S. presidency and received the presidential nomination of the Grassroots Party.[6][7][8]
Trial and Conviction in Federal Court[edit]
On September 16, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jim Carlson went to trial, facing 55 federal charges, including selling misbranded drugs and controlled substance analogues.[9]
On October 7, 2013, he was found guilty of 51 of the 55 counts,[10] and in 2014, he was sentenced to 17½ years.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ Oakes, Larry (September 23, 2011) "He dares Duluth to shut his head shop", Star Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Louwagie, Pam (September 23, 2011) "Head shop raided by Duluth police" Archived 2012-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Star Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Walsh, James (November 16, 2011) "Duluth retailer's synthetic-drug suit dismissed" Archived 2012-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Star Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2012
- ^ Kraker, Dan (November 23, 2011) "Ground zero in legal fight against synthetic pot is the Last Place on Earth", Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "Last Place Plans to Fight Synthetic Drug Law" Archived 2012-05-04 at the Wayback Machine, Northland's NewsCenter. May 1, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ "Last Place Owner Running for President of the United States" Archived 2012-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, Northland's NewsCenter. June 13, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ KBJR-TV (June 29, 2012) "Duluth Head Shop Owner Continues Presidential Bid"[dead link], MSNBC. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ "Grassroots Party Nominates a Presidential Ticket", Ballot Access News. July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ "Jury Find Last Place on Earth Owner Jim Carlson Guilty on Most Counts" Archived 2013-10-08 at archive.today, Duluth News Tribune. October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ "Jury Upholds 51 Counts Against Jim Carlson in Federal Court" Archived 2013-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, Northland News Center. October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ "Duluth head shop owner sentenced to 17½ years for selling synthetic drugs", Star Tribune. August 14, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2015.