Mike Tyson is going green – as in a 40-acre cannabis farm, taking advantage of California's new law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, SFGate.com reported.
Tyson, 51, the former world champion heavyweight boxer who was convicted of rape in Indiana in the 1990s, continued to take another step toward a personal comeback with the business deal, SFGate.com said.The farm is located in the desert town of California City, 60 miles south of Death Valley.
The website The Blast reported that Tyson broke ground on the land last month with business partners Robert Hickman and Jay Strommen. The Blast said 20 acres of the land will be set aside as a cultivation facility that "will allow master growers to have maximum control of their environment."
A Tyson Cultivation School will be opened to teach growers the latest ways to perfect their strain of cannabis.
The facility, called the Tyson Ranch, also will feature hydro-feed plant and supply store, an extraction facility, an edible factory, premium "glamping" campgrounds and cabins; and an amphitheater, The Blast reported.
The passage of Proposition 64 in November 2016 legalized the sale and cultivation of recreational marijuana for adults in California, but it has numerous restrictions, Deadline.com noted. Marijuana smokers cannot light up in public or within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center when children are present.
The law also gives local governments authority to make their own rules governing use, Deadline.com said.
The Blast reported that California City mayor Jennifer Wood participated in the opening and said that the Tyson Ranch has the potential to create a "rebirth" for the city. The website said that there is no official opening date for the ranch.
The ranch will also operate Tyson Holistic, which will cater to military veterans, The Blast wrote. The website pointed out that the ranch is located near Edwards Air Force Base.
Tyson played himself in the 2009 movie "The Hangover," and toured nationally in the one-man stage show "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth," throughout 2013, SFGate.com reported.