Boxing legend and Super Nintendo star Mike Tyson made headlines last week when he told reporters how much weed he smokes, but what many don’t realize is the heavy-hitter has been funding cutting edge cannabis research.
Tyson runs a farm where he grows vast amounts of hemp and marijuana on 420 acres. New reports show he is using some of his stardom and resources to fund research into CBD’s effects on traumatic brain injuries, TBIs, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE.
The former heavyweight titleist reportedly rakes in as much as $500k per month from his ranch where he grows weed and cannabidiol, or CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabis compound that has many of the same health benefits as marijuana. [1][2]
Tyson made news last week when he announced on his podcast, Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, that he and his staff at Tyson ranch smoke approximately 10 tons of weed per month while they tend their farm. [2]
Estimates for that much green easily reach as high as $40,000.
“We smoke 10 tons of weed at the ranch a month,” Tyson’s co-host Eben Britton added. “Ain’t that crazy?” [2]
The heavyweight champ isn’t only using the crop for recreation. Important scientific discoveries could come as a result of his patronage.
According to People, 20 acres of Tyson’s farm is reserved for his Cultivation School, where he aims to use his team and resources to teach new cannabis farmers how to use the most cutting edge techniques to develop their own hemp and cannabis agriculture. [2]
Yahoo! News reports that CBD has been helpful in treating symptoms of CTE and other brain injuries, like nausea, substance abuse and insomnia. These and other benefits of CBD were reported recently in the medical journal Cannabis Therapeutics and the Future of Neurology, and the possibilities are part of what Tyson wants to focus on. [1]
Tyson’s ranch recently unveiled a CBD-drink line in addition to the funding for agricultural and scientific developments around cannabis.
The drinks, called DWiiNK, come in a number of flavors with 10 mg. of CBD in each serving.
According to Yahoo! News, Tyson hopes his CopperGel CBD product will see use in professional athletics and be used for research among top competitors. [1]
For Tyson, marijuana and CBD were viable routes away from a substance addiction he developed after ending his boxing career. Pain relief, joint stiffness and a host of other symptoms are often reported among athletes and many people use CBD or other cannabis products to combat them. [2]
Sources
[1] https://news.yahoo.com/mike-tysons-cannabis-co-exploring-224837451.html
[2] https://people.com/sports/mike-tyson-marijuana-weed-40000-a-month/
[3] https://www.bet.com/style/living/2019/08/15/mike-tyson-smokes--40k-worth-of-weed-a-month.amp.html
