From Pain to Power
By LynnWachtler MSN, RN, FNP-BC,CMCC
For Matthew Robidou of Raiden Labs, a functional cannabinoid brand, business is deeply personal. It’s all about family. On the day I visited, I was greeted by Matthew’s adorable baby, Raelynn, scooting around the mostly pink office and introduced to his wife, Jackie. To say their story is inspirational would be an understatement.
As a disabled Marine Corps Veteran, he finds healing and purpose through responsibility and advocacy. Like many veterans, he found himself broken-searching for help and answers upon returning home from active duty in 2019. As a Mandarin linguist on a tactical team, he was dedicated to his job and country. During his deployments in the southern Philippines and South Korea, he witnessed and subsequently carried a lot.
Like other veterans, he brought it all home. He talks about red tape, denials, and boxes being checked by a contracted doctor who never made eye contact. Not one to give up, he took a year to gather both his strength and more records, and he returned to the clinic. This time, he was better able to advocate for himself.
“Cannabis saved my life and put me on a path I never anticipated.”
Bringing up cannabis use to his physician for the first time was “terrifying,” and he felt quickly shut down.
“Many veterans are timid about bringing it up,” he says. “They use alcohol because it is accessible and normalized.”
He is mission-driven to educate and advocate for the use of cannabis.
A passion for plants runs deep in his family. As he finishes his degree in Plant Science and Agroecology with a focus on cannabis at the University of Minnesota, he mentions his great grandfather, Jonas J. Christensen’s groundbreaking work to combat stem, or cereal rust, which causes significant plant disease due to fungus. As a renowned plant pathologist and researcher, he was the doctoral advisor to Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Father of the Green Revolution, who was responsible for saving a billion lives worldwide from starvation by breeding for high-yield, disease-resistant wheat.
Like his family before him, he’s data-driven with facts over opinions through research. He’s found that being around the plant and talking about his service helps him “get it out” and heal.
How plants grow in response to their environment is foundational to learning more about building resiliency.
Jackie, who was on track with a full NROTC scholarship to pursue a military career of her own, was diagnosed with cancer in her junior year of college. Despite chemo, and the end of her military aspirations, she finished her studies online and received a degree in Business Administration. She then launched her successful Company, Le Vvintre Living Luxury Cleaning Services.
The resilience Matthew and Jackie show in overcoming unimaginable loss and pain is extraordinary.
They made a conscious decision to face it together.
In February 2021, their son Raiden unexpectedly passed away at 41 weeks gestation. Building the company named after their son and saying his name aloud almost daily helps keep Raiden’s memory alive and helps Matthew stay accountable. “There is no option for failure,” Matthew says.
Raiden Labs launched its first gummy line in May 2024, with input and guidance from Steven Brown of Nothing But Canna, .also a Marine Corps Veteran. Matthew cultivated cannabis flower for use in their products and will continue to develop and launch new formulations, including a nighttime gummy.
Raiden Labs is what is good about small businesses and Minnesota cannabis. With Matthew’s vision, background, and remarkable story of resilience, we will remember the why.