Mike Tyson might be the most excited man in California now that the state has officially legalized the sale of recreational marijuana. The former heavyweight champion has unveiled plans for Tyson Ranch, a 40-acre facility dedicated to cannabis cultivation, innovation, and education.
Tyson broke ground on the huge project on Dec. 20 in California City; the ranch will be located in a remote desert about 60 miles southwest of Death Valley National Park, per The Blast. Tyson has the support of two business partners, Robert Hickman and Jay Strommen, as well as California City mayor Jennifer Wood, who has described the ranch as a “rebirth” for the city.
Twenty of the ranch’s 40 acres will be handed over to master growers, who will have maximum control over their land and environment. The plan is to produce both THC and CBD strains. But the “oasis in the desert,” as Hickman calls it, will be more than just a place for growing high-quality dank. The ranch will also be a home for research on the medicinal qualities of marijuana.
Tyson Ranch will include a Tyson Cultivation School, which will teach growers to perfect their strains using the most modern techniques. The ranch will also boast a hydro-feed plant and supply store, an extraction facility, an edible factory, premium glamping campgrounds and cabins, and an amphitheater.
And that’s not all. Tyson Ranch will also be a place that looks to do some good. The company that will operate the ranch, Tyson Holistic, mostly employs veterans, since they believe “taking care of men and women who have served in the armed forces is a top priority." The location is close to Edwards Air Force Base and aims to create plenty of jobs for the community.
Tyson has a long public history with marijuana. In 2000, he was fined $200,000 after testing positive for weed after a fight in Detroit. He also spoke openly about marijuana use in his 2013 memoir, Undisputed Truth; he admitted to getting high before jumping in the ring and detailed how he would trick the official testers (it involved a fake penis and clean urine). Tyson has also said he was using marijuana back in 2007 when he was arrested for cocaine possession.
