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

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

  1. ^ Oakes, Larry (September 23, 2011) "He dares Duluth to shut his head shop", Star Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ KBJR-TV (June 29, 2012) "Duluth Head Shop Owner Continues Presidential Bid"[dead link], MSNBC. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  8. ^ "Grassroots Party Nominates a Presidential Ticket", Ballot Access News. July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Duluth head shop owner sentenced to 17½ years for selling synthetic drugs", Star Tribune. August 14, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
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