Mike Tyson has always been a character, to put it lightly. The youngest boxing heavyweight champion at age 20, “Iron Mike” was a polarizing figure throughout his fighting days, racking up as much controversy — drug abuse and alcoholism, sexual assault accusations, a prison sentence for a rape conviction — as he did knockouts.
But things have changed for Tyson, who, like many who use weed, seems to have calmed down in his second life. Yet he’s still furiously working on his highly anticipated cannabis resort, Tyson Ranch, an extension of his existing cannabis brand portfolio called Tyson Holistic Holdings. While the opening date is still tentative, Tyson hasn’t been shy when it comes to building hype around what is essentially an amusement park for tokers.
On June 10, 2019, GQ recently ran a feature on Tyson and his prospects, providing a little insight on both the ranch and Tyson’s own current state of affairs. Here is a look at eight of the most interesting takeaways.
Tyson is a Wake-and-Baker
Tyson isn’t so different from many stoners. Well, that is, if they like to smoke weed at the crack of dawn.
GQ gives a glimpse into Tyson’s morning routine. Apparently, he wakes up at 5 a.m. and immediately lights ups.
“Around five in the morning, Mike Tyson opens his eyes, reaches for his lighter, sparks a joint, runs for an hour on the treadmill, showers, dresses, kisses the kids, kisses the wife, and eats some oatmeal, egg whites, and broccoli while he waits for the car that will take him to the office,” wrote GQ’s Alex Pappademas.
Rocky drinks his eggs, Mike smokes a quick doobie. Similar, but different.
Tyson Ranch is (Almost) 420 Acres
For stoners, 420 is a sacred number. Tyson apparently feels the same way, or it was just a little bit of serendipity, but the plot of land his ranch will reside on spans 418 acres.
“Let’s say 420 acres,” Tyson Ranch CEO Robert Hickman said. “Makes it fun.”
His Ranch Will Feature World’s Longest Lazy River
One of the biggest attractions of the ranch will be its lazy river. It will allegedly be the biggest in the world, usurping BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas, for the No. 1 spot. It will take an hour to float through the entire river, plenty of time to spark a joint and enjoy the benefits of marijuana.
Tyson Holistic Won’t Actually Grow Any of the Weed
Even though we’re talking about a ranch, Tyson’s own company, Tyson Holistic, won’t actually be growing any cannabis themselves — it’ll simply be making the Tyson brand containers that will be given to third-party growers. In fact, no weed will even be grown on the premises.
“We’re not burdened with bad crops. We’re not burdened with legalities. We’re selling paper. Packaging. And market share,” Hickman said to GQ.
You Can Smoke Almost Anywhere on the Ranch
Tyson Ranch will allow patrons to smoke essentially anywhere on the ranch. Like one big cannabis social lounge. The only exception will be any place where liquor is sold, in compliance with state law.
There Could be a Tyson Ranch Sitcom
As a way to advertise, Hickman, who has a background in producing, is toying with the idea of making a “Curb Your Enthusiasm”-esque sitcom to get around the rules of cannabis advertising on television.
It would be “part sitcom and part infomercial” and feature Tyson playing himself running Tyson Ranch with his friends, including comedian and real-life buddy Russell Peters. Apparently, they’ve already even shot some demo footage.
Tyson Recently Smoked… Toad?
While Tyson has managed to replace hard drugs with cannabis, he has recently smoked some pretty heavy stuff — toad poison.
A close relative of the hallucinogenic DMT, 5-MeO-DMT is found in the animal’s skin secretions. Tyson apparently had a pretty spiritual experience with the psychedelic substance.
“It’s almost like you die and you’re reborn,” Tyson said in the feature.
There’s Another Tyson Ranch in the Works
In the GQ feature, Hickman said they’re working on another location for Tyson Ranch — this time on the border of Florida and Georgia. However, neither state currently allows recreational marijuana, so it might take some time.
But if they do get an East Coast location, Tyson Ranch could be the Disneyland of cannabis.
Feature image by Carla Van Wagoner/Shutterstock)
Tim Kohut
Tim Kohut is a writer, journalist, and comedian hailing from Rockland County, New York. He’s covered the burgeoning cannabis industry extensively over the past several years as both a Staff Writer and contributor for High Times Magazine, Green Rush Daily, and now Weedmaps News. He also currently serves as a Features Editor for The Knicks Wall. His work has also appeared on Bleacher Report, Fansided, and Clutchpoints.
