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Mike Tyson speaks during an interview. The former heavyweight boxing champion is becoming a California marijuana entrepreneur. Photo: AP

Ex-heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson to open 40-acre marijuana farm in California

Mike Tyson is going green.

The former boxer has broken ground on a 40-acre marijuana operation in California City, according to The Blast. Recreational marijuana was legalised in California on Monday.

Half of the land will be used to grow marijuana, while the other half will be dedicated to a hydro-feed plant and supply store, an extraction facility and an edible factory.

There will also be premium “glamping” campgrounds and cabins and an amphitheatre.

Tyson has also trademarked “Iron Mike Genetics” for use on the ranch, and hopes that he will be able to use the property to improve research into the plant’s medical properties.

A marijuana leaf design is seen in the window of the MedMen dispensary in West Hollywood, California. The state legalised recreational marijuana on January 1. Photo: Bloomberg

The ranch is based near Edwards Air Force Base, and the company managing it – Tyson Holistic – will largely hire military veterans, The Blaze reported.

CBS, a non-psychoactive compound that can be extracted from cannabis, has been used to treat PTSD and has shown anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant and antipsychotic properties, The Blaze notes.

Tyson, known best for his boxing prowess, including becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history, was fined US$200,000 in 2000 after testing positive for marijuana.

In his 2013 memoir, he admitted to getting high before major matches, often tricking official testers by using a fake penis with clean urine.

However, Tyson is better known for a grimmer reason.

He was also sentenced to six years for raping an 18-year-old woman in an Indianapolis hotel in 1991. He served less than three years.

The boxer also said he was using marijuana when he was arrested for cocaine possession in 2007, a crime for which he was sentenced just 24 hours in jail.

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