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Robert O'Neill, the highly decorated former Navy Seal who took down Osama bin Laden, is shifting gears as the founder of Operator Canna Co, a new cannabis company. According to the New York Post. O'Neill plans to sell his state-licensed marijuana brand in New York City dispensaries, and will also donate a portion of the revenue to support disabled veterans through a charitable organisation.
"I wanted to get into the cannabis business through my experience in the military and watching vets suffer from things like post-traumatic stress disorder. It's a good way to take the edge off. It helps to get rid of the noise," he told the Post.
His company named 'Operator', draws heavily from his military background as a Navy SEAL. The brand name is also used for his memoir and podcast. The company's website features a green colour scheme reminiscent of military fatigues, and the cursor is designed to look like a sniper's bullseye. O'Neill's cannabis strains are also named with a military theme, including 'Healer-Indica', 'Warrior-Sativa', and 'Shooter-Hybrid'.
The cannabis products, cultivated at an upstate New York farm, will initially be available exclusively at The Flowery cannabis stores in Staten Island, Queens, the Upper West Side, and SoHo in Manhattan. The former Navy SEAL believes that marijuana can provide much-needed relaxation and psychological relief for individuals in high-stress professions, offering a safer alternative to alcohol and prescription medications.
As a former Navy Seal, Mr O'Neill admitted that marijuana was never on his radar during his service, given the military's strict ban on drugs. However, now that he's entered the cannabis industry, he jokingly suggested that pot could help ease the country's intense and divisive political tensions.
"If we take cannabis, we can have better conversations. We have the potential for world peace right here," he said.
The company's website says, "Operator Canna Co. is on a mission to help veterans and others find healthier alternatives to harmful substances like alcohol and opiates. By offering premium, hand-crafted cannabis, we aim to provide a path to recovery and well-being, while empowering those who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms."
Mr O'Neill, a former member of SEAL Team 6, gained international recognition for taking credit for the fatal shot that killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, during a covert operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011. He considers himself fortunate to have survived the mission, having initially believed that bin Laden was wearing explosives that would detonate and kill the entire team of Navy SEALs.
"I thought that would be my last day on Earth: We're going to kill him, and he's going to kill us. We were able to fulfill the mission,” he said.