Life takes us in strange directions, doesn’t it? Who could have called that Iron Mike Tyson, one of the most feared men ever to step into a boxing ring, would one day be a marijuana icon? Yet here we are, with no less than the former heavyweight champion of the world set to become a cannabis tourism pioneer and builder of a stoner’s paradise. Who knew?
In the late ’80s, Mike Tyson was on top of the world.
An absolute beast in the ring, when he was 20 years old, Iron Mike became the world’s youngest ever heavyweight champ, knocking out Micheal Spinks just 91 seconds into their bout. And Tyson wasn’t just a ferocious puncher — he was also a charismatic personality, and a coiner of catchy sayings like “Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
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That quick and brutal start to Tyson’s life caught up with him.
Today, he’s as famous for being Mike Tyson as he is for his exploits inside the ring. He will always be a polarizing figure, a convicted rapist and longtime addict who lost his boxing license for biting a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear, and who once told Lennox Lewis he wanted to eat his children. But, he has mellowed with age.
The years in the ring and the turmoil outside it took their toll on the former champ.
For him, cannabis has played a huge role in his healing. “I’ve been fighting for 20 years, and my body has a lot of wear and tear,” he told Cannabis Tech Today . “I had two surgeries and I used marijuana to calm my nerves, and it would take the pain away. But before, they had me on those opiates, and those opiates had me all screwed up.
Tyson has since invested heavily in California’s recreational pot scene.
After the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, Tyson leaned into it and became a cannabis entrepreneur, starting up Tyson Holistic Holdings, which operates Tyson Holistic and Tyson Ranch, two premium brands that allow him to share the healing properties of cannabis with as many people as he can.
The weird thing about Tyson’s cannabis brands is that they don’t actually grow the plants.
Tyson Ranch and Tyson Holistic merely provide packaging and branding to growers, basically lending Tyson’s public image and shelf space to help them move their product. Tyson and his team will inspect the crops of growers to make sure the stuff being put inside their containers is top-shelf stuff and worthy of the Tyson name, but that’s about as close as they get to the process.
Up to now, Tyson Ranch has merely been a brand, but the plan is to make an actual ranch out in the California desert.
Between Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs, a 418-acre parcel of barren land will be the home of the real, physical Tyson Ranch, a cannabis-themed getaway resort that sounds like a literal stoner’s paradise.
The attractions planned for Tyson Ranch include a luxury hotel on the side, an amphitheater for concerts, and glamping units
They also plan to install the world’s longest lazy river, one that will take a full hour to float down. You’ll be able to smoke anywhere alcohol isn’t served — to comply with state law — and there will also be Tyson University, where experts will share their knowledge about cannabis cultivation with anyone with an interest in growing their own crops.
Tyson Ranch won’t actually sell weed, either.
Rather, the plan is to rent out space on-site to retailers, much like a bookstore renting out space to Starbucks. The site got its dry run in February when it hosted the Kind Festival, a sort of “Lollapalooza of cannabis.”
No opening date has been announced for Tyson Ranch, but ground broke on the site in 2018, so it’s worth watching to see how it all comes together.
h/t Cannabis Tech Today , GQ
