The government of Malawi has asked boxing legend Mike Tyson to become the official ambassador for the country’s marijuana crop.

Agriculture Minister Lobin Low sent a letter to Tyson inviting him to take up the role and said legalization in Malawi had created new opportunities for the sale and distribution of Marijuana.

Tyson, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, is a marijuana entrepreneur and has a very big Marijuana farm in the US.

“Malawi may not go it alone as the industry is complex [and requires] collaboration. I would therefore like to appoint you, Mr. Mike Tyson, as Malawi’s Cannabis Branch ambassador,” Mr. Lowe wrote.

The United States Cannabis Association was facilitating the deal with Tyson, the Malawian Agriculture ministry said on Wednesday, November 24.

Local media in Malawi reported that Tyson had been expected to visit the country last week but the trip was postponed.

Malawi legalised the growing and processing of cannabis for medicinal use last year but stopped short of legalising it for personal use.

The country’s agriculture ministry has encouraged farmers to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes as well as Indian hemp for industrial use.

In the past, Tyson said smoking cannabis improved his mental health and turned his life around. Some studies, however, have suggested smoking potent cannabis can increase your risk of serious mental illness.

The Centre for Public Accountability, a Malawian civil society group, has criticized the government for its latest move due to Tyson’s previous crimes.

He was jailed in 1992 after being convicted of rape in Indiana. He was released in 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence.

“The CPA is failing to comprehend why Malawi would want to have a convicted rapist as its brand ambassador, more especially, at this time, when efforts to curb violence against women are part of the government agenda,” the group’s acting director, Kondwani Munthali, said in a statement.