Mike Tyson's journey from substance abuse to sobriety has shaped his current mission in the cannabis industry.
The former heavyweight champion revealed he hasn't touched cocaine, cigarettes, or alcohol in nine years.
"I did a lot of drugs, a lot of cocaine and a lot of drinking and then I started smoking and it changed my whole life," Tyson said during a recent DEA facility visit.
The 58-year-old boxing legend credits cannabis with transforming his life after spending time in what he called "insane asylums" due to his drug use.
Mike Tyson's journey from substance abuse to sobriety has shaped his current mission in the cannabis industry
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Now he's channeling that experience into making "the whole cannabis universe safe."
The legendary boxer visited a Drug Enforcement Agency laboratory in New York City this week to learn about the deadly opioid crisis.
Tyson, who owns the cannabis company TYSON 2.0, toured the facility to educate himself about fentanyl's dangers.
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Mike Tyson has been a big advocate for cannabis in the United States in recent years
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"I just found out that a pin of fentanyl can kill somebody. I was never educated on fentanyl and this is new to me," Tyson told the New York Post.
The former world champion promoted his legal cannabis products as a safe alternative to street drugs that could be laced with deadly narcotics.
His company focuses on providing tested, regulated cannabis products to consumers in America.
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Tyson toured the facility alongside Alina Habba, the acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, who became friends with the boxer and his wife Kiki after meeting at a UFC event.
During the visit, Tyson donned a DEA lab coat as scientists showed him evidence from drug seizures.
The tour included massive bags of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, vapes, and a bag of fake orange Adderall pills. A scientist displayed a fentanyl brick that also contained carfentanil, which Tyson learned was "more potent than fentanyl."
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"We have kids where they take a pill from God knows where or smoke a vape or take a gummy and they don't know where it came from and next thing you know you are on the floor because of that little piece of fentanyl," Habba told Tyson.
The fentanyl crisis has devastated communities across America, with nearly 70 per cent of recent overdose deaths attributed to illegally manufactured fentanyl.
New York City alone recorded approximately 2,200 fatal overdoses last year.
Mike Tyson won't fight again after losing to Jake Paul back in November
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"One pill can kill," Tyson warned during his lab visit, emphasizing the drug's lethal potency.
The boxing icon expressed shock at learning about fentanyl's deadliness. "I'm just here to be educated on the laws," he said.
Habba highlighted the severity of the crisis, calling it "a real toxic problem."
Tyson, meanwhile, also confirmed that he's got no plans to return to boxing after losing to Jake Paul in November: “That’s why I did the last fight, so I never have to do it again," he said.
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