Overview

• Tyson said he used fentanyl "quite a few times" in the late 1990s to numb a toe injury, comparing its effects and withdrawal to heroin.
• He said he stopped because the opioid would have been flagged in drug tests and added he likely would have continued using it if rules allowed.
• He reiterated his view that cannabis is medicine, claimed athletes perform better when they smoke, and said he wishes he had used it during his prime.
• As a cannabis entrepreneur, Tyson has led athletes urging the White House to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, grant clemency for nonviolent offenses, and ease banking limits.
• Coverage places his admission in the broader fentanyl crisis, noting the drug’s extreme potency and tens of thousands of U.S. overdose deaths cited by the CDC.