Earlier this week it was reported that WWE had loosened its policy on marijuana use, and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has offered up his reaction.
It was reported by Fightful this week that WWE hasn’t fined or suspended talents in “years” for marijuana use. In the past, the promotion would issue out fines of $2,500 for those who tested positive for marijuana. However, it was noted that talents are still tested for “everything.”
Booker T took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to offer up his take on the news. He noted that the move is “long overdue” and thinks it could be a huge benefit for talents dealing with lingering pain and injuries.
“It’s a long time overdue, I think – marijuana policy being lifted,” Booker T said. “Just because, like, science approved what marijuana can do for so many different types of ailments, especially pain management. And one thing about the professional wrestling game, the opioid problem got huge at one point in time. You know, guys trying to self-medicate and we lost a lot of guys due to that.
“So for me, I’ve been somewhat of an advocate, you know, not as outspoken as (Rob Van Dam). I’m sure he’d be proud right now. I’m sure he’d be happy. I’m sure he’s jumping for joy. I’m sure he’s celebrating, you know what I mean? But definitely, I’ve always been something that believed that shouldn’t be something that was on the banned list.”
It was reported that current WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton was actually a big advocate for the change. His tag team partner, Matt Riddle, has been an open advocate for marijuana use since his days in NXT. Going even further back to the 90s, WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion Bret Hart was also a pro-marijuana advocate.
Hart mentioned it gave athletes a better alternative to the dangerous methods commonly used amongst professional wrestlers to deal with pain.