Mike Tyson’s Past with Fentanyl and Support for Marijuana Use

Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, has always advocated for the use of marijuana, even for athletes. Recently, he opened up about another substance he used during his fighting career—fentanyl.

On a podcast, Tyson disclosed that he had taken fentanyl “a considerable number of times” in the late ’90s, explaining that it served as a painkiller for his injuries, particularly for problems with his toes.

He described the drug’s effects as rapid and addictive, likening it to heroin. “Once it wears down and you take off the band-aid, you retreat and start throwing, as if you were using heroin,” he recounted. Despite the drug’s grip, Tyson said he eventually had to stop, partly out of concern about its legality and the implications of being caught.

Tyson reaffirmed his stance on marijuana, insisting it shouldn’t be classified as a drug in the traditional sense. He mentioned that athletes tend to perform better when they smoke and expressed a personal hope to use marijuana during his upcoming fight.

In an interview last June, on his 59th birthday, Tyson shared that his decision to fight again hinges on the legalization and rescheduling of marijuana. He spearheaded a coalition that included notable athletes like Kevin Durant and Antonio Brown, who collectively urged the White House for cannabis reform. Their letter asked to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, address non-violent marijuana offenses, and mitigate financial discrimination against the cannabis industry.

Tyson also voiced his disappointment regarding past administrations’ progress on marijuana reforms and expressed hope that future leadership would take a different approach.