Of the multifarious developments springing from the legalization of marijuana in California this week, here’s one that was hard to predict: Soon, everybody will be getting high over at Mike Tyson’s place.
According to Deadline, the former heavyweight champion just broke ground on a large pot farm in California’s Mojave Desert. The 40-acre property, named Tyson Ranch, will dedicate 20 acres to the cultivation of medical cannabis, which Tyson is apparently an outspoken advocate for.
The farm will not only produce super dank weed, giving space to master growers to do their thing, but there will also be a Tyson Cultivation School to pass knowledge on to farmers, as well as Tyson Holistic, which will help provide treatment to U.S. military veterans suffering from psychological ailments.
So, will you be able to blaze with Iron Mike? It sounds like a possibility, as Tyson Ranch will also contain a dedicated resort with campgrounds, cabins and an amphitheater. And there may also be an edibles factory, raising the odds that Tyson may meet you at the gates of this place in a top hat and tails before giving you a taste of an Everlasting Gobstopper. Our hearts race at the thought of just hearing him pronounce “Everlasting Gobstopper.”
Anyway, when we heard that cannabis would finally be legalized in California, it was easy to imagine a shit-ton of broke celebs trying to get in on the action. Corey Feldman vape pens and Dustin Diamond dab rigs didn’t feel too far off.
But Tyson is an altogether different kind of broke cult celebrity. One with the perceived benefits of athletic achievement about him and a former champion who enjoys widespread love despite atrocious past behavior.
Reinvention as a marijuana-loving impresario seems a good gambit for recovering his depleted funds and the good graces of the public. Plus, he looks good in a suit and a Tyson weed strain feels like a no-brainer.
But whether or not Tyson Ranch really takes off probably depends on a whole fuckload of regulatory statutes and the usual dealings with general contractors and greedy government fingers. As well as a willingness for Californians who can get high at home to drive to the middle of the state into the heat of the high desert just to see what Mike is smoking.
It could work.
