Mike Tyson Says Athletes 'Could Play Better' If They Smoked Marijuana, Wishes He Smoked During Boxing Days

It's been well-documented over the years, and now decades, that Mike Tyson is a huge proponent of marijuana. The former world heavyweight champion boxer has been on the record saying he first used the drug before turning 10, and seemingly hasn't turned back since.

The 59-year-old has become a successful business owner in the marijuana industry and was recently named CEO of a Las Vegas-based company behind cannabis brands.

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Tyson isn't just pro-marijuana for recreational use, though. He believes the benefits could translate into more success for athletes in their respective sports. He made the admission during a wide-ranging interview with Katie Miller, the communications director for former Vice President Mike Pence in the Trump administration.

Tyson also sent a bit of a warning that sports leagues with strict rules against marijuana could be losing out on talent.

"There are people that are willing to give up multi-million dollar careers for this flower. You have to tell these big owners that you're going to either lose your guys over some flower, and really lose money," Tyson explained. 

"I would say that little flower could prevent me from losing so much money and so much great play because people are dropping out. People want to smoke. That relaxes them. That makes them have tunnel vision. They could play better when they smoke their marijuana. It's just the truth. I wish that I smoked when I was fighting.

A drug test from 2000 would argue that Tyson did smoke during his boxing career, as a win over Andrew Golota in October of that year was deemed a no-contest after he failed a drug test for marijuana.

Tyson's last ‘fight’ came in November 2024 when he lost to Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium.