Mike Tyson died of a heroin overdose – sort of.
“I ‘died’ on my first trip,” the former world champion boxer, 55, told The Post at Wonderland, a Miami conference devoted to psychedelics, microdosing, and medicine. “Through my travels, I’ve discovered that dying is lovely. Both life and death must be beautiful, but death has a terrible reputation. The toad has taught me that I will not remain here indefinitely. There is a time limit.”
Bufo alvarius, often known as the Sonoran Desert Toad, is the “toad.” Although it spends seven months of the year underground, when it is active, its venom can be smoked for a brief psychoactive high. The poison has been utilised in ancient healing rituals for centuries. Still, with the increasing popularity of LSD and ayahuasca among the wealthy and famous, “the toad” is gaining a lot more attention.
Tyson stumbled into it four years ago. He was 100 pounds overweight at the time and was drinking and using drugs. He was slow and dissatisfied. One of his pals advised he try toad venom, which the athlete immediately fell in love with.
“I did it on the strength of a dare,” Tyson recounted. “I was already abusing strong narcotics such as cocaine, so why not?” It is a different dimension. I was a wreck before I did the toad. My most formidable adversary was always myself. I had a low sense of self-worth. Individuals with large egos frequently suffer from low self-esteem. We subsidise that with our ego. The toad eliminates one’s ego.”
He’s already tripped toad 53 times — three times in the same day, on occasion. Yet, he claimed to have shed 100 pounds in three months, reconciled with his wife and children and resumed boxing.
He’s also become a spokesman for psychedelics, preaching their virtues around the country.
“It has increased my creativity and helped me focus,” he explained. “As a businessman and entrepreneur, I am more present.”
Tyson is so enamoured with the psychedelic toad that he maintains an entire nursery of the amphibians on his ranch in Desert Hot Springs, California, if you will, venom on demand.
“People notice a difference in me,” he explained. “It is self-explanatory. In 1989, if you knew me, you knew a different person. My mind is insufficiently sophisticated to comprehend what occurred, yet life has improved. The toad’s sole objective is to help you realise your full potential. I have a unique perspective on the world. We are all identical. Everything is a manifestation of love.”
Tyson is collaborating on two cannabis products — dubbed “Undefeated” — with a new partnership that includes entrepreneur Adam Wilks and marijuana juggernaut Columbia Care Inc. Although his “Toad” line will not contain actual hallucinogenic venom, the strain was inspired by his wild encounters with toads.
However, with areas such as Denver, Detroit, and Oakland decriminalising mushrooms, Tyson is hopeful that he will soon sell the genuine toad venom.
To that purpose, he invested in Wesana Health, a biotech startup developing a treatment for traumatic brain injuries utilising psilocybin.
“I’m advocating for psychedelics to become prescription-only medications,” he explained. “My work is not complete. I wish I could do more. But, I want to be the finest in this field that I can be.”
