Boxing champion and avid cannabis advocate Mike Tyson has plans to increase marijuana tourism in the Caribbean.
Tyson announced plans to expand his cannabis empire to the small nation of Antigua and Barbuda where he wants to start a pot farm and host an annual cannabis conference to rival the World Economic Forums in Davos, according to the Daily Mail.
Meeting with Antiguan prime minister Gaston Browne in September, Tyson told media he wants the country to become a cannabis powerhouse.
The boxer launched Tyler Holistic Holdings in 2016, which sells cannabis strains, edibles and merchandise.
The company has also been pioneering cannabis tourism in California where it built a 420-acre ranch earlier this year, dubbed Tyson Ranch, which features a cannabis-friendly luxury hotel and golf course.
Cannabis from the ranch can be found on the shelves of Planet 13 (CSE:PLTH), a Nevada-based cannabis superstore, but it seems the pro boxer’s empire is just beginning.
Mike Tyson reveals plans to set up Caribbean cannabis farm to cater for pot-loving Brits https://t.co/AxT5PNTXPs
— The Sun – Boxing (@SunBoxing) September 29, 2019
Tyson Holistic Holdings looking to expand its properties
The annual conference will start in April 2020 and bring much needed funds to the twin-island nation which has been slowly recovering from 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria , Tyson told the Daily Mail.
Antiguan prime minister Gaston Browne met with Tyson to discuss the development.
“[The conference] will be like the Davos of cannabis; it will take place on an annual basis and will bring stakeholders from throughout the globe for that matter right here on Antigua to discuss various opportunities within the industry,” Browne told the media. “So we are very excited about that.”
A win-win scenario for the islands and Tyson
It’s not hard to see why the country’s prime minister would be on board with the plan as it could give the country an influx of tourists, especially with a big name like Mike Tyson in the mix.
With a national population of 100,000, international tourism would be essential to the success of the Caribbean resort.
Antigua and Barbuda is already a popular tourist destination with an economy built around tourism, famed for its white sand beaches and striking blue oceans. In 2018 the country reported a record high of one million tourists, many of them from the United Kingdom, according to the Daily Mail.
Antigua and Barbuda decriminalized cannabis in early 2018 and is drafting legislation to legalize some recreational and medical sales. Currently anyone in possession of 15 grams of cannabis or cannabis resin is not guilty of an offence, according to Marijuana Business Daily.
