Iconic American wrestler Ric Flair and legendary American boxer Mike Tyson are retired champions in their respective combat sports. They also share a common interest in cannabis.
Although Flair didn't use cannabis in the past, he has come to understand the benefits and believes it can change the way athletes recover, he said Thursday at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami Beach.
"If this stuff had been available years ago, I can imagine the number of people it would have helped without taking the other drugs that people take to sleep and relax with. So I'm on board 100%," Flair said.
His views on cannabis have evolved over the years. He now sees cannabis use as a necessary part of a young wrestler's routine.
"The [WWE] athletes pay fines repeatedly because it is necessary," Flair said. "It is a healthier way to fall asleep at night, to take the edge off."
Ric Flair Drip: The retired wrestler, popularly known as "Nature Boy," has partnered with the team at Tyson 2.0, Tyson's rapidly expanding cannabis brand, which offers premium and affordable cannabis flower, concentrates and consumables nationwide.
The cannabis company is launching a new Flair-branded line of products called Ric Flair Drip that will feature edibles called "Wooooo Chews."
The edibles will be similar to the company's "Mike Bites," fun ear-shaped edibles with a chunk missing in reference to the time "Iron Mike" took a bite out of boxing great Evander Holyfield's ear.
Other products in the Ric Flair Drip line include a 2-gram blunt infused with live resin, vape products, flower and a solventless live resin.
Tyson 2.0 Team: Flair was joined on stage by Tyson 2.0 CEO Adam Wilks and co-founder and chairman Chad Bronstein. He noted that the group aptly celebrated the unofficial cannabis holiday on April 20.
"I've hung out with a lot of people and had a lot of fun and I've traveled with presidents, I've been in the White House, I've partied with Mick Jagger, but man, hanging with these two dudes is a whole different world," Flair said with a laugh.
Tyson 2.0 just launched a show offering a first-hand look at the team using its own products. Tyson and Wilks will consume and review different cannabis strains with various celebrities including musical artists B-Real, Wiz Khalifa; and Snoop Dogg; comedians Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong; as well as Seth Rogan.
Watch the full event below:
Ric Flair speaks Thursday at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference. Photo by Dez Smith.
