Mike Tyson is trading punches for policy, teaming up with a star-studded lineup of athletes and entertainers, calling on President Donald Trump to take the lead on federal cannabis reform. Tyson and the rest want to right what they say are injustices left hanging by his predecessor.
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"Cannabis is in the same category as heroin. How do you categorize it with heroin?" Tyson asked during an appearance on Fox & Friends. "Anybody that would smoke cannabis knows there's no comparison, and that's just ridiculous."
The boxing icon is part of the newly formed Coalition of Athletes and Entertainers Supporting President Trump's Policy Objectives, a group that also includes NBA star Kevin Durant and former NFL receiver Dez Bryant. The coalition sent a letter to the White House urging Trump to pick up where Joe Biden left off. Or rather, failed to start, in their view.
The group is backing a three-pronged approach: clemency for nonviolent marijuana offenders, reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance, and reforming banking regulations that they argue unfairly target cannabis businesses.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
"There's over 500,000 people that can't get loans because they're in the cannabis business alone and that's just so ridiculous," said Tyson, who runs his own cannabis company and says the plant helped him overcome mental health struggles and personal turmoil. "It's given me a new life, so to speak."
The group's letter didn't pull punches when assessing Biden's record, pointing to his failure to commute the sentences of inmates locked up on marijuana charges. In fact, they accused him of turning his back on the issue entirely.
"Not only did he leave office without commuting the sentences of those incarcerated for marijuana, but in one of his final acts, he denied nearly every pending marijuana-related clemency application," the letter read. "This betrayal only underscores the urgent need for bold leadership."
Trump, who has occasionally nodded to criminal justice reform during his political career, has not yet commented publicly on the coalition's request.
Still, the group is hoping he'll be the one to carry the torch, not just for cannabis reform, but for a broader message about redemption and fairness.
"This isn't about politics," Tyson said. "It's about doing what's right."
