Mike Tyson Unveils New Line of Cannabis Seeds in Collaboration with Royal Queen Seeds. Former heavyweight boxing champion and legal weed entrepreneur Mike Tyson on Tuesday unveiled a new line of cannabis seeds that is now available to home growers through a collaboration with the famed pot seed bank Royal Queen Seeds. The initial offering of seeds for six weed strains is now available online, with co-branding under the Tyson 2.0 and Royal Queen Seeds brand names. Tyson 2.0 is a cannabis and accessories brand co-founded by the championship boxer, entrepreneur, and weed advocate Mike Tyson. The company’s mission is to “revolutionize the cannabis industry by crafting innovative and premium products celebrated for their purity, precision, and wide accessibility,” according to a statement from the company. Headquartered in Barcelona, Royal Queen Seeds (RQS) has been producing cannabis seeds appreciated by professional and home growers since 2007, with many of the company’s strains taking honors at prestigious cannabis competitions around the world. The company has brick-and-mortar locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bangkok and New York, as well as a network of distributors that supply cannabis seeds to more than 250 independently owned stores. Cannabis Seeds For Six Strains Available Now The first drop of the Tyson 2.0 cannabis seeds from Royal Queen Seeds includes the strains Gelato 44, Dynamite Diesel, NYC Sour D (autoflower), GOAT'lato Auto, Punch Pie and Corkscrew (autoflower). The collection is characterized as “a combination of nostalgic-meets-new genetics offered as feminized and autoflowering seeds that will consistently deliver an exceptional home grow experience,” according to a joint statement from the two companies. Feminized seeds are produced in a process that causes nearly all plants to be feminine, which are prized for the resinous flowers potent with THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana. Auto-flowering seeds produce plants that, unlike most strains of cannabis, do not need a consistent, relatively short day length to begin and maintain flowering. The six exclusive Tyson 2.0 strains are now available in the U.S. (except in Kansas and Kentucky) and internationally, and can be purchased as one-, three-, five- and 10-seed packs. An additional 12 strains are expected to be released during the three-year partnership. Shai Ramsahai, president of Royal Queen Seeds, says that the Tyson 2.0 seeds for sale in the U.S. are grown by New Breed Seed, an affiliated cannabis breeder in Oregon. In addition to the United States, Tyson 2.0 cannabis seeds are also available in Europe, with launches in Thailand and South America in the works for the coming weeks. Tyson Says Collaboration Is A ‘No-Brainer’ In an exclusive phone interview, Tyson noted Royal Queen Seeds’ reputation as one of the best cannabis seed banks in the world, saying “It’s a no-brainer to collaborate with them.” “If you’re the best in the world at what you do, most likely, we’re going to be partners,” he added. Tyson has partnered with professional cultivators across the country to produce cannabis flower, beverages, concentrates and edibles including Mike’s Bites, a weed gummy shaped like an ear with a bite taken out of it. Of the six strains in the RQS collaboration, Tyson says that his favorites are the NYC Sour D and Gelato 44. Adam Wilks, CEO of Carma HoldCo, the parent of Tyson 2.0, says that the collaboration with Royal Queen Seeds was initiated as part of the company’s plan to become the world’s leading cannabis brand. He believes that they “couldn’t have asked for a better partner” than RQS for the cannabis seed venture. “Just meeting the team and seeing their true passion and love for the plant, Mike and myself felt they were the best fit,” Wilks says in an interview. Tyson 2.0 operates in 17 countries and legal cannabis states across the U.S. Nearly 20 states have legalized the home cultivation of cannabis for recreational or medical purposes, including New York, where regulators are currently drafting the rules for home marijuana gardens. As more states legalize home cultivation, Wilks believes that companies that can provide quality cannabis seeds will find the support of cannabis consumers. “Great cannabis flower starts with great genetics,” he said in a joint statement from the two companies. “Growing cannabis at home has long been a pastime of this community, and our collaboration makes it easy for consumers to know that the seeds they buy make the same high-quality cannabis that Tyson himself expects.” (420)
I do find it unusual that RQS such a conservatively quite run company, would align themselves with the likes of Tyson, but thats marketing, if only DinaFem would sort out their 'issues'
Everyone who allows a male plant to grow with his/her females, will produce viable seeds. Your chances of 'developing' a strong strain, is the SAME odds as when anyone else breeds plants. Just because a famous person does it, does not mean his strains will be WooHoo.
Hey, the guys are trying to make a dollar. I dont get the relationship though. Interesting though. Thanks Vee
Just another sign of weed moving more into mainstream culture. Jim Belushi has his own strains and a show about it. Seed companies are going to be advertising soon, I'd guess.
I watched several episodes of "Growing Belushi" ........ horrible show. The only good parts to the show are the tours of canna facilities around Calif. The rest of the show is a guy with more money than sense trying to be funny. Maybe I am looking at the show with the wrong expectations. Too bad, because I think that Jim Belushi is a talented guy but his series doesnt showcase his talent(s). I tried his product too---meh.
Mike Tyson's name is just on the brand. He's not doing any work with the plants. Traditional breeding is an agricultural process. If they're not already, cannabis seeds are going to be produced by scientists. They'll cross two plants, let the offspring seed, and then examine the seeds for desired DNA markers. Doing this reveals the characteristics of the plants the seeds will produce. So, there's no need to grow them out. The scientists will choose seeds with the genetic markers they want: desired THC, CBD, terpene profile, morphology, disease resistance, etc. Breeding takes half the time. They replant only the few seeds with the DNA they want. Inbreeding these select plants for a few generations will produce offspring that are stable. These scientists absolutely do have the ability to produce some excellent cultivars, and they can do it in half the time of traditional breeders. The better funded seed banks will all be producing seeds this way. It amounts to designer cannabis. Sooner than later, they'll be using CRISPR to splice genes in and out. So, you can always putz around with home breeding projects, but the next money making cultivar is going to come out of a lab.