Key takeaways:
- Lobin Low, who encouraged Tyson to take the job, wrote him a letter noting that legalisation has opened him new chances in Malawi.
- Malawi gold, a locally grown cannabis type, is well-known among recreational users all over the world.
Lobin Low, Malawi’s Agriculture Minister, wrote Tyson a letter encouraging him to take up the position, saying that legalisation had opened up new opportunities in Malawi.
Tyson, a former world heavyweight champion, is a businessman who owns a cannabis farm in the United States.
Some have criticized the move because the former boxer was imprisoned in the 1990s for sex offenses.
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“Malawi may not be able to do it on its alone because the industry is complex and requires partnership. As a result, Mr. Mike Tyson, I’d like to appoint you as Malawi’s Cannabis Branch ambassador, “Mr. Lowe penned a letter.
According to the agriculture ministry, the contract with Tyson was facilitated by the United States Cannabis Association.
Wezi Ngalamila, the president of its Malawi section, told the BBC that the former boxer had accepted the invitation and preparations were being made to visit the country.
“Tyson will be assisting us,” she stated.
Malawi legalised the cultivation and processing of cannabis for therapeutic purposes last year, but not for personal use.
Farmers have been urged to produce cannabis for therapeutic uses and hemp for industrial ones by the country’s agriculture ministry.
Mr. Tyson’s support is expected to “bring in some investors and even possible buyers,” according to ministry official Gracian Lungu, who spoke to the AFP news agency.
Malawi gold, a locally grown cannabis type, is well-known among recreational users all over the world.
Smoking marijuana, according to Tyson, helped him better his mental health and turned his life around. Smoking strong cannabis, on the other hand, has been linked to an increased risk of serious mental illness in several studies.
Due to Tyson’s earlier misdeeds, the Centre for Public Accountability, a Malawian civil society organization, has criticised the new decision.
After being convicted of rape in Indiana, the former boxer was imprisoned in 1992. After spending less than 3 years of his sentence, he was released in 1995.
“The CPA is baffled as to why Malawi would want a convicted rapist as its brand ambassador, especially this time when measures to reduce violence against women are high on the government’s agenda,” said Kondwani Munthali, the group’s acting director.
Source: BBC News
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