Mike Tyson is opening a weed resort in California

January 8, 2018 10:16 PM

The ranch promises an "edibles factory" and 20 acres for "master growers" to cultivate their product.

On Monday, January 1, Californias Proposition 64 went into effect, allowing for both the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana.

The bill, which was voted on and passed in November of 2016, allows adults over the age of 21 to purchase marijuana from shops across the state and grow up to six plants in their home. The one thing people cannot do, however, is smoke or consume marijuana in public places, bars or buildings outside their homes.

Unless of course, you’re at Mike Tyson’s new marijuana resort.

According to the Washington Post, Tyson, along with his business partners, have long been eager to jump into the legal weed business, and broke ground on a 40-acre ranch in November. That ranch will soon become a safe haven for both growers and consumers to come together over their shared love of a good blunt.

The resort, The Blast reported, will be located in California City—just a 110-mile drive northeast of Los Angeles, making it the ideal destination for a weekend getaway. It will be run by Tyson Holistic and will be called—what else?—Tyson Ranch.

The ranch will include about 20 acres for marijuana cultivation by what The Blast called “master growers.” It will also offer growers educational opportunities to learn more about their craft at the Tyson Cultivation School.

For the visitors' side, the ranch will provide guests with amenities like tours of the “edibles factory,” an amphitheater, and areas for “glamping” among the product.

Tyson isn’t the only one who’s excited about the new venture. Jennifer Wood, California City’s mayor, said the ranch will be a “rebirth” for her town at its groundbreaking last fall.

Tyson has been a long-time user of marijuana. In 2000, the former heavyweight champion was fined for testing positive for marijuana, and his technical knockout and win over Andrew Golota was changed to “no contest” after the test. Now, it looks like Tyson is turning that negative experience into a positive, and a lucrative one at that.

Marijuana has been linked to a number of health benefits. The drug has been found to be an effective pain management tool—potentially a superior option to opioids. Smoking pot or eating edibles may also help you lose weight and improve your sex life at the same time. That doesn't mean there aren't downsides: It can make you puke violently for days, and researchers have warned of the risk of cannabis use disorders.

BDS Analytics, a cannabis industry-tracking firm, believes that sales of cannabis are expected to hit $3.7 billion in 2018 and surpass the $5 billion mark in 2019 in California alone. That would mean that by 2019 the sale of marijuana could match, or even surpass, the sale of beer in the state.