Boxing legend Mike Tyson, now retired, recently appeared on Fox News’s “FOX & Friends” to push for big changes in cannabis laws, directly appealing to President Donald Trump. This interview followed a letter sent to Trump by many athletes and celebrities, all advocating for cannabis reform.
Tyson was super passionate about moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The Biden administration started this process, but it’s currently stuck at the DEA. He called it “ridiculous” that cannabis is in the same category as heroin, saying, “Anybody that ever smoked cannabis knows there’s no comparison and that it’s just ridiculous.”
Beyond rescheduling, Tyson also highlighted the huge economic benefits of federal marijuana reform. He pointed out, “over 500,000 people that can’t get loans in the cannabis business alone, and that’s just so ridiculous.” He also pushed for clemency for people locked up for cannabis offenses, calling their “enormous amount of time” sentences “ridiculous.”
Tyson firmly stated that cannabis is medicine, not a drug, sharing how he personally uses it for health reasons. He’s all for full nationwide legalization, mainly because of the “totally ridiculous” sentences people get for cannabis crimes. He even brought up Weldon Angelos, a criminal justice reform advocate and former federal cannabis prisoner who Trump pardoned, as an example of unfair sentencing.
During the chat, Tyson also raised concerns about illegal operators from China and Mexico messing with cannabis, adding fentanyl and pesticides. This echoed what he learned from a recent tour with Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba at a DEA lab.
He further stressed his belief that “cannabis is not a drug,” comparing it to alcohol: “No one’s ever [overdosed from cannabis]. People drink. How many people die drinking? You put a bunch of people that don’t like each other in the room and give them alcohol and they kill each other. You give them some cannabis and they start taking selfies or whatever.”
Tyson’s advocacy comes as cannabis continues to be a hot topic in politics. Trump’s first pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), has also supported rescheduling, suggesting it could win over younger voters for the GOP. While Trump did endorse rescheduling on the campaign trail, he hasn’t said anything publicly about it since becoming president. Gaetz thinks Trump’s endorsement was more of a strategy than a personal belief.
A recent GOP poll showed that most Republicans are on board with various cannabis reforms, including rescheduling, and they’re even more supportive of state-led legalization without federal interference than the average voter. However, the future of rescheduling is a bit up in the air given Trump’s current nominee for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, who has a history of opposing medical cannabis legalization, and his nominee to lead the DEA, Terrance Cole, who has voiced concerns about marijuana’s dangers.
While Cole did say that looking into the rescheduling proposal would be “one of my first priorities” if confirmed, he hasn’t clarified what outcome he’d like to see. The DEA has indicated that the rescheduling process is currently paused. Congressional researchers have noted that lawmakers could actually pass reform themselves “with greater speed and flexibility,” potentially avoiding court challenges.
