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]
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]