Mike Tyson says he turned to fentanyl for pain relief during his boxing career, but his fear of losing everything kept him from becoming addicted.
Tyson appeared on The Katie Miller podcast this week to talk about his cannabis business and the stigma around using the drug, especially in the world of sports.
While Tyson stressed his views on cannabis being harmless, claiming the most serious side-effects include a user falling asleep—he also opened up about some of his other drug use from the past.
At one point in the conversation, Tyson shared, "That fentanyl stuff, I’ve done fentanyl before in the late 90s when it first came here. It was for painkillers, it was a painkiller. I used to use it to patch on my toe, but it was like heroin, once you take it off, wears off. You take the band-aid off, you start withdrawing and throwing up, just like if you were on heroin or something."
Miller then pressed Tyson on how he was able to avoid being addicted to fentanyl, asking, "Just because you did it once?"
The boxing legend replied, "No, I did it quite a few times, but know what happened? It was illegal if it was caught in my bloodstream, it was a narcotic."
Tyson continued, "My friend told me cuz it’s brand new. I told my friend ‘Hey can I use this?’ because he was a commissioner. ‘Will I be able to use this?’ You know, no one ever heard of it. Then he looked it up and said ‘Mike, that’s a narcotic, you couldn’t use it.’ I didn’t know that. I thought of it as a painkiller."
Essentially, it was a fear of getting caught and suspended or banned that kept Tyson away from using fentanyl consistently.
Just last week it was announced that Tyson and Floyd Mayweather will square off in an exhibition boxing match next spring, though a location, date and where to watch the fight have not yet been announced.