As a Navy SEAL and then a professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura has developed a reputation as a fighter. Now he's taking on a new battle, the U.S.'s "War on Drugs" that has sought to outlaw illegal substance abuse, but led to a number of spillover effects.

In his new book, "Jesse Ventura's Marijuana Manifesto", the former Governor of Minnesota argues for the legalization of pot. He makes no distinction, however, between medical and recreational.



"I'm in favor of all. There is no difference. The entire plant is a medical plant," Ventura told CNBC's On the Money in an interview.



He said he took on the cause for a personal reason. "Someone very, very close to me developed…epileptic seizures and was seizing four times a week," said the former governor.



Ventura said the person, who he declined to name for privacy reasons, took four types of pharmaceutical medicines. "None of them worked. They all had horrible side effects," he added.



"Finally in desperation," Ventura took the person to Colorado, where weed has been legalized. After taking medical marijuana the person has been "completely seizure-free and is completely off all of the pharmaceutical medicine," for at least two years. "So marijuana cured the seizures," he added.