Wrestling hurts. Lots of wrestlers have overdosed on dangerous pain pills. Why Marijuana can solve this problem.

Wrestling Hurts

Regardless of whether you subscribe to the tired cliché that professional wrestling is just “grown men dancing around in speedos”, or that it’s “fake” and therefore cannot possibly be worth watching, the undeniable fact remains, it bloody hurts!

For the uninitiated or smugly ignorant, although pro wrestling is predetermined and not a legitimate sporting contest, the physicality is most certainly real. When John Cena picks up his “opponent” in a fireman’s carry and then slams him down to the mat for an “Attitude Adjustment”, his colleague really does fall from 6 feet in the air and land on their back. Live audience members can attest that it’s not CGI.

Yes the ring has some slight give to it and the trained athletes spread their arms and flatten themselves to widen the surface area of the impact, but taking such bumps night after night will eventually take its toll. As will the neck-jarring and chaffing from rebounding off metal cable wrapped in rope and a thin layer of foam. So too does the grueling schedule of traveling to a new town nearly every day, having to work out before heading to the arena and not getting to sleep until the early hours. Oh yeah and it won’t be in your own bed, rather the crunching sheets of a hotel room. It is this tough reality that is rarely considered by arm-chair critics hiding behind their inferiority complexes.

Over the years wrestling’s largest promotion World Wrestling Entertainment has aired video segments during their broadcasts telling fans not try and recreate the stunts they see on TV at home. One from the late 90s/early 2000s warns: “…I’ve incurred countless injuries, broken bones, stitches, bumps and bruises. The danger is always there, the fear is always there…don’t try this at home…leave the danger to us!”

This isn’t blowing smoke. Despite years of conditioning, you’d be hard pressed to find a WWE Superstar that hasn’t been injured in the ring at some time in their career.

“I broke my right foot five places and my left foot three places,” WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper told HBO’s Real Sports in 2003 [1]. “My right hip has been titanium since December, 1994.”

For somebody who hasn’t stepped in to the ring to derogatorily call wrestling fake or phony is a huge insult. This “fake” perception may be part of the reason why people generally disregard the wellbeing of these larger than life entertainers, despite many dying before reaching old age or ending up permanently damaged from injuries sustained during their careers like Piper.

Scanning the current WWE talent roster: Randy Orton has suffered a broken collar bone and a slipped disc in his back. John Cena has suffered a torn pectoral muscle, a herniated disc in his neck, and countless other strains and tears. Everyone’s favorite anti-hero CM Punk sustained a ruptured eardrum and broken nose while still training to be on WWE TV, and has gone on to have arm and knee surgery. These men have all gone through intense rehab and will never be the same as they were prior to wrestling. All three of them will be in pain after they retire and if they’re honest they’re probably in some kind of pain right now.

“I was home Thursday. And, before that, two weeks ago, I was home for 22 hours. It’s not healthy,” CM Punk told fans and reporters at this year’s Chicago Comic Con [2]. “I need to go home and hibernate, I know I really do. A lot of people go, ‘You look really tired today.’ Thanks. Downtime doesn’t exist,” he concluded. It was only recently that Punk underwent a knee scope, after soldiering through the pain for several weeks.

“[Promoters] take them and mess them up so much…I remember doing 90 one night stands in a row,” explained Roddy Piper in the HBO interview.

Drugs

Although wrestlers can be portrayed as superhuman, a grim inevitability of trying to deal with a bizarre schedule and regular physical (and at times mental) pain, is the use of pharmaceuticals, alcohol or recreational substances. While CM Punk himself claims to live “straight edge” (a lifestyle abstaining from these things), drugs have been known to help wrestlers wind down at night, give them a boost in the morning and mean the difference between sitting in agony backstage or being able to perform in the ring.

In a video blog addressing the substance abuse problems of his friend Matt Hardy, former WWE Superstar Chris Masters admitted to ingesting “70 pills daily on a regular basis” [3]. Hardy himself, who rose to fame in the early 2000s with his brother Jeff; a pair of high flyers that would jump off ladders and crash through tables, had a very public meltdown in which numerous online videos and Tweets exposed his “demons”. While Matt was lucky and appears to be on the road to recovery, others have paid unnecessarily with their life.

Spanning from 1994 until today, the following famous pro wrestlers (under the age of 50) have all passed away as a direct or contributing result of prescription drugs, alcohol, recreational drugs or a combination of the three. Marijuana was not a factor in any of the deaths.

Art Barr, Eddie Gilbert, Brian Pillman, Louie Spiccoli, Rick Rude, Bobby Duncum Jr, Terry Gordy, Davey Boy Smith, Billy Joe Travis, Curt Hennig, Miss Elizabeth, Pitbull #2, Road Warrior Hawk, Crash Holly, The Wall, Eddie Guerrero, Johnny Grunge, Bam Bam Bigelow, Sherri Martel, Chris Benoit, Brian Adams, Andrew “Test” Martin, Umaga, Lance Cade, Chris Kanyon, Trent Acid and Luna Vachon.

“Everybody’s dead,” continued Hot Rod. “They’re all dying early, and nobody cares about it.”

Steroids

The high profile deaths of WWE Superstars Eddie Guerrero in 2005 and Chris Benoit in 2007, thrust the alarming rate of dead young wrestlers in to the mainstream limelight and finally got people to consider the pain and suffering wrestlers go through. The suicide of Chris Benoit and his murder of his wife and son particularly grabbed the headlines, but rather than an objective view of the problem, the hot-button issue became steroids. Did Benoit have “Roid rage” causing him to snap on his family? Does or did the WWE encourage wrestlers to take steroids?

When wrestlers appeared on TV to discuss the tragedy, it became an interrogation, were they on steroids too? Had they used them in the past? As wrestling legend Kevin Nash told Hannity & Colmes on Fox News [4]: “Alcohol was found on the scene, but I guess that’s just not sexy enough for the media…if you look at your federal penitentiaries I’m sure there’s a lot more people causing violent crime on alcohol.”

Nash is indeed correct. The US Department of Justice suggest that alcohol abuse is a factor in some 40 percent of violent crimes committed in the United States [5]. Furthermore 2007 data shows that 23,199 people died in the US directly from alcohol related illness [6]. A 2005 study, which includes alcohol linked accidents and homicides in the statistics, puts the number as high as 79,000 a year [7]. Alcohol is a legal killer!

The number of people dying from steroids?

Statistics for this are thin because steroids simply do not kill people directly and indirectly at a rate high enough to really monitor. References from the CDC and other sources literally put it at no more than a handful of people each year.

While doctors believe steroids have a contributing role in the premature deaths of some wrestlers, for example they may end up with enlarged hearts (like their muscles), which puts more strain on their systems, other factors must clearly play a large part as well. Most steroid users at the gym are not keeling over and dying.

Could Chris Benoit have been acting under “roid rage” when he murdered his family? Sure, but the likelihood is slim and that would have only been one factor. The theory of “roid rage” itself is disputed among experts [8].

Benoit was universally considered a quiet and mild mannered man outside of training sessions. There is no historical evidence that he suffered from outbursts of violence. While Toxicology reports showed he had elevated levels of testosterone in his urine, which due to his age and past steroid use may just have been used to make up for the little natural testosterone his body could produce, common sense suggests that if the deaths were caused by rage, it would all have been over in a matter of minutes. Instead the murders were carried out over several days and demonstrated premeditated/ritualistic behavior such as the bounding of Nancy, the placing of bibles near Nancy and Daniel’s bodies, and the sending of incoherent text messages to friends. A note was also discovered which read “I’m preparing to leave this Earth” [9]; the key word being “preparing”.

This indicates that Benoit’s mind was in a general state of depression and psychosis, not going through a sudden fit of anger. Since Benoit’s death studies conducted on his brain show severe deterioration not too unlike an elderly Alzheimer’s patient [10]; this a result of concussions and constant head trauma from wrestling. Toxicology results [11] also found that Benoit’s system contained a combination of Xanax, a powerful psychoactive anti-anxiety drug and Hydrocodone, an addictive semi-synthetic opioid derived painkiller, that bares relation to Heroin.

Side effects of Xanax include a loss on inhibitions, memory and concentration problems, drowsiness, and in some people aggression, rage, mania, suicidal thoughts and hallucinations [12].

Side effects of Hydrocodone can include changes in mood and anxiety [13].

Side effects is of course a fluffy term, a drug does not differentiate between good and bad results, it just does what it does. In reality they aren’t side effects, but straight up effects; effects that the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies do not want to recognize.

Instead of “roid rage” why didn’t the media focus on the empty alcohol bottles at the scene as Kevin Nash suggested? Why didn’t they discuss the possible combined negative effects of prescription drugs? Why wasn’t Xanax rage a buzz word in the newspapers? Friends described how Benoit was suffering from paranoia before his death, this is in line with the possible side effects of the drugs he was taking.

A topical comparison can be drawn from the recent Sandy Hook school shooting. The accused Adam Lanza was taking a controversial anti-psychotic medication when he allegedly carried out the killing spree [14]. Going back through the history of school massacres, almost all of the shooters have been on some kind of anti-depressant prescription medication [15].

Could it be that these kinds of mind altering drugs are pushing people over the edge?

Prescription Drugs are Killers:

Instead of throwing out contextless lists and then screaming steroids, if we analyze the deaths of wrestlers closely the majority of them actually died from prescription drug overdoses.

Luna Vachon overdosed on oxycodone, an opioid painkiller and benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety drug [16].

Chris Kanyon committed suicide by overdosing on antidepressants (They obviously weren’t working very well) [17].

Lance Cade died from an accidental overdose of a variety of prescription pills [18].

Umaga died due to the combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam; prescription painkillers [19].

Andrew “Test” Martin overdosed on oxycodone pain pills [20].

Sherri Martel accidentally took too many prescription drugs, including high amounts of oxycodone [21].

As well as cocaine Bam Bam Bigelow overdosed on anti-anxiety drugs [21].

Johnny Grunge exacerbated his sleep apnea by taking too many Soma pills, a muscle relaxant [22].

Crash Holly choked on his own vomit after taking Soma and drinking alcohol [23].

ECW’s Pitbull 2 overdosed on Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller and per-surgery analgesic [24].

Miss Elizabeth passed away from “acute toxicity,” brought on by a mix of prescription painkillers and vodka [25].

Bobby Duncum Jr overdosed on prescription painkillers [26].

Rick Rude died from a “lethal cocktail” of prescription medication [27].

Louie Spicolli choked to death on Soma and wine [28].

Brian Pillman had painkillers and blood pressure pills in his system when he died of a heart attack [29].

Only Eddie Gilbert, Terry Gordy, Davey Boy Smith, Billy Joe Travis, Road Warrior Hawk, Brian Pillman, The Wall, Eddie Guerrero and Brian Adams, died of lone heart attacks (no overdoses), although all had abused painkillers and alcohol in the past. Only Eddie Guerrero, Davey Boy Smith and Hawk’s deaths can be expressly linked to steroid use (enlarged hearts), though they too had abused alcohol and prescription drugs for a number of years. Pillman did have an enlarged heart but heart disease also ran in his family.

Wrestlers are dying young, it’s something now widely acknowledged. But the reasons why are not. Simple statistics tell us that the primary problem here is not steroids as the mainstream media decided during coverage of the Benoit tragedy. The killer is painkillers, anti-depressants and other drugs prescribed by doctors! This looks to be compounded by alcohol, another legal substance and sometimes steroids due to its effects on the heart.

Other wrestlers like Mike Bell died from huffing a cleaning product. Curt Henig overdosed on cocaine only. Trent Acid a known drug user had an overdose (although the specific drug has been sealed from the public), and Art Barr passed away with unnamed drugs (recreational or prescribed) in his system mixed with alcohol.

Why Wrestlers?

We can assume that wrestlers are dying young from painkiller overdoses at a rate higher than the general public because they naturally go through more pain and therefore are more likely to be prescribed painkillers. The same with anti-depressants. That said the general public are also dropping like flies, from the very substances assured to us by our doctors as safe and effective.

Right now the number one cause of accidental death in America is not car accidents, nor illegal drug overdoses. The number one killer is overdosing from drugs prescribed by drug dealers doctors![30]

The WWE Wellness Policy was originally implemented on February 27, 2006, in response to the death of Eddie Guerrero and has been revised several times. Currently all steroids and illegal drugs are banned under the program. While this is a step in the right direction, it completely fails to acknowledge that the majority of premature wrestler deaths were caused by prescription drug overdoses. Under the policy wrestlers are perfectly free to obtain painkillers from a doctor so long as they have a valid prescription and do not stockpile them. Knowing that Wrestlers are constantly in pain, there’s nothing stopping them regularly obtaining prescriptions and an overdose is only a few pills away; stockpiling is irrelevant. Thus the primary cause of wrestler deaths has not been tackled at all!

Marijuana

There are a few basic myths about Marijuana that need to be acknowledged, because decades of hysteria and propaganda still cast a dark shadow over its use.

1) Marijuana is a dangerous drug that can kill you:
Firstly, nobody dies from Marijuana. It is not a hard drug or physically addictive like Heroin. It is literally impossible to inhale enough of the plant to overdose, and even then you wouldn’t be dying from its psychoactive constituent THC, rather from a lack of oxygen. There is zero statistical evidence that shows Marijuana has killed anybody. Granted a few people may have been really high and fallen asleep at the wheel or something of that nature, but nothing within the cannabis plant can kill a human. Period!

Hundreds of thousands of people die annually in the United States from smoking Tobacco, yet cigarettes are legal. Tens of thousands of people die each year in America from Alcohol related causes, yet alcohol is legal. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses [31], and most of these deaths were caused by prescription drugs, yet you can go to the doctor with a pain and they’ll hand them right over.

Nobody dies from pot, but in most US states and countries of the world it’s illegal.

Just because there is a law doesn’t make it logical, scientifically-backed or consistent with other laws.

2) Marijuana makes you stupid and gives you brain damage:
There is no scientific evidence to back-up claims that Marijuana makes you stupid or gives you brain damage. Under the immediate effects of cannabis some users experience short term memory loss, i.e. you may lose your train of thought, or not take on-board some information efficiently, but this does not continue after a session and there is no long term damage.

While studies show a correlation between children who regularly smoke cannabis and a decrease in their IQ, over 18s who regularly smoke cannabis show no decrease in intelligence [32]. It is also worth noting that correlation does not prove causation. Cannabis is safe for adults.

There is in fact some evidence to suggest marijuana protects the brain. Experiments with rat nerve cells, and then with actual rats, suggest that THC and cannabidiol, both compounds found in marijuana, can protect cells by acting as antioxidants, and could be useful in the treatment and prevention of stroke, heart attacks, and neurodegenerative diseases [33]. In the future wrestlers who have already had heart attacks or have Chris Benoit-like brain damage due to concussions, could end up being treated with Marijuana!

Studies also suggest that smoking marijuana while binge drinking can prevent some of the negative effects to the brain of the alcohol [34].

2) Marijuana gives you cancer like cigarettes:
While it’s true that burning any substance is carcinogenic and cannabis smoke shares some of the same chemical makeup as tobacco smoke, commercial tobacco products carry a laundry list of dangerous cancer-causing additives that cannabis does not. Furthermore studies looking at cannabis smoke and lung cancer have not found any significant link.

A 2012 study concluded that “…analyses of pulmonary function and lung disease have failed to detect clear adverse effects of marijuana use on pulmonary function.”[35]

Hashibe et al carried out an epidemiological analysis of marijuana smoking and cancer. A connection was not observed [36]. These conclusions are reinforced by Tashkin et al who were also unable to demonstrate a cannabis smoke and lung cancer link [37].

Tashkin, a UCLA researcher funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, did a case-control study in 2006 comparing 1,200 patients with lung, head and neck cancers to a matched group with no cancer. Even the heaviest marijuana smokers had no increased risk of cancer, and strangely actually had less of a risk of cancer than non-smokers.

[Tashkin] was surprised to discover that those who smoke cannabis alone develop fewer cancers and less COPD than those who smoke nothing at all and those who smoke cannabis with tobacco do better than those who smoke tobacco alone. He concluded that cannabis provides some protective effect against lung damage and particularly the carcinogenic effects of tobacco smoke.

One possible explanation for the new findings, he said, is that THC, a chemical in cannabis smoke, may encourage aging cells to die earlier (a process known as apoptosis) therefore making them less likely to undergo cancerous transformation.

Tashkin is backed-up by an earlier 1997 study by researchers at the Kaiser-Permanente HMO [38]. They monitored nearly 65,000 patients for nearly a decade, comparing cancer rates among non-smokers, tobacco smokers, and marijuana smokers. Tobacco smokers had massively higher rates of lung cancer and other cancers. Marijuana smokers who didn’t also use tobacco had no increase in cancer risk, and in fact their rates of lung and most other cancers were slightly lower than non-smokers.

This suggests that far from being more prone than cigarettes to cause lung cancer, cannabis may in fact lower the risk of lung cancer!

And if that sounds too unbelievable, cannabis can just as easily be consumed by vaporizer or as an edible, eliminating the issue altogether.

THC Cures Cancer?

Not only does smoking cannabis possibly protect you from cancer, but Marijuana’s active compound THC and other chemicals within the plant, administered in a variety of other ways has been found to actually slow down numerous cancer types directly.

– Researchers at Harvard University tested the compound with both lab analysis and studies where mice were injected. They found THC cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread [39].

– A 2007 study showed THC’s ability to inhibit aggressive breast cancer cells [40].

– In 2009 it was revealed that Cannabis cannabinoids have been found to stop prostate cancer cells from growing in the laboratory [41].

– Research led by Dr Wai Man Liu, at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, showed that THC has the potential to be used effectively to destroy leukemia cells [42].

– Similar results have been found with Giloma (brain/spine tumors) [43], and skin cancers using topical application of THC oil [44].

I wonder if Susan G. Komen and WWE are looking at all the possible cures out there?

Use In Pro Wrestling

Although the law would prevent wrestling promotions from actively dishing out Marijuana amongst their locker rooms, there is nothing stopping them from being vocal advocates for its benefits. One would think that a company who claim to have their wrestler’s best interests at heart, would be at the forefront of pushing for the legalization of a drug that would vastly improve the well-being of their pain-addled performers. Instead they enable the use of dangerous pain pills, the industry’s number one killer.

That however doesn’t mean wrestlers themselves aren’t already utilizing Marijuana’s benefits. The following is an excerpt from an article Rob Van Dam wrote for Cannabis Culture magazine; a real wake-up call for those in the wrestling business:

To be at it’s best, the body needs to be as stress free as possible. pain from old injuries, swollen joints, and tired muscles are anchors that weigh down athletes. I’ve had my share of prescription painkillers, such as the common Vicodin, and it is helpful in dealing with pain. Many people have a hard time swallowing pills, get upset stomachs or feel woozy, and fear addiction. Vicodin is one of the many painkillers such as Percoset and Oxycodone that are popular in and outside of sports, and is often abused. I personally know some wrestlers who take over fifty 10-milligram Vicodin pills a day. To put that in perspective, doctors often recommend two a day – so the ridiculously abusive daily amount of 500mg equals a month’s supply. No doubt, those wrestlers face serious liver damage as well as physical dependency. I’ve lost many friends and associates to fatal drug abuse over the years, and have even been a user myself. I’m thankful that I survived that destructive part of my life when many others did not. You don’t have to be a disciplined athlete to understand the importance and validity of marijuana as medicine – science has shown that marijuana can replace or decrease the required amount or prescription drugs and still deliver the same effect or better. The fact that it is impossible to overdose is enough reason for many athletes to give it a try, and when they realize how safe it is compared to pills and chemicals, they can feel good about what they’re putting in their bodies.

Cannabis helps an athlete relax and get into the state of mind needed for complete connection with the body, and encourages the smooth execution of many athletic tasks in every sport. Athletes often stretch as part of a warm-up ritual before physical activity or a competition. Freeing the mind of distractions, such as stressful thoughts and annoying body aches, can be achieved much easier and to a higher level, so to speak, with some herbal love. While stretching the different body parts, an athlete needs to feel each separate muscle that is being targeted. This action requires a sort of meditative state of mind that concentrates on the inner self rather than the world around. THC helps free up energy to put towards connecting with muscles and breath, while other cannabinoids (such as CBD and CBN) are physically relaxing. Taking a break to focus on oneself is a refreshing and rewarding experience, and during physical activity the brain releases endorphins making an athlete feel happy, fit, and ready for action.

Once an athlete is stretched out and warmed up, he or she needs to get their mind “in the zone”. This could be mental preparation for lifting heavy weights, running a race, or performing gymnastics – any skillful and demanding physical effort. When competing or training, athletes often use a strategy called “visualization”: a calm, meditative mind-set quietly fixated on what is before them. the athletes who want to imagine performing a task in their mind so vividly that the muscles involved believe they’ve already done the movement, so once the action has been performed in the brain the body will be prepared for the actual physical movement. During visualization, there is no time for the lyrics of a favorite song or any other thought to be taking the brain’s energy; being in the zone is all about being immediately present, fully ready for action, but also focused and relaxed. Athletes use the uplifting benefits of cannabis to get to a superior state of awareness. It’s up on that level – away from the spasm in a leg, the bills that need to be paid, the screaming audience in the background – that an athlete can accomplish anything and everything.

After an athlete has visualized the game plan, what comes next is challenging: performance. Stress is the number one enemy to health, and comes in all forms and fashions. If you’ve ever had the attention of a huge crowd of people, you may have felt it as nervousness. You’re up at bat, looking at hundreds of people in the bleachers screaming your name, and you’ve got a bad case of anxiety – your adrenaline kicks into overtime and your legs feel weak. If you choke, you’re done. Sometimes when an athlete just isn’t feeling too well and it’s affecting his physical performance, he can count on the magic of marijuana to give him the mental and emotional drive to change things around. not only will body aches and arthritic pains be much less of a bother, or gone altogether, but if he’s smoking the right stuff he’s prone to find himself happy, positive, and encouraged. Many athletes learn to count on cannabis’ dependable properties to get them in the desired mood as part of their regular regimen, and also utilize reefer relief for paranoia, depression, anxieties and other nervous conditions and social disorders that keep pharmacies busy these days. Consuming cannabis is also an effective and reliable way to remedy jet lag which, for me and other frequently airplane-bound athletes and performers, was very helpful.

You may justifiable wonder about the dangers of performing after smoking cannabis, but that depends on the athlete, and the reaction to the ganja. Marijuana should be given credit for assisting many athletes through highly successful careers. I’ve held the claim of being one of and perhaps the most athletic wrestler in the industry for years because my acrobatic flips, my gracefully balanced maneuvers off the ropes, and martial arts swiftness have always stood out. I’m no longer surprised when I hear about pro athletes getting caught with pot because I understand why they use it, and I always hope that it helps change public perception. NFL super star Ricky Williams made big news when he decided not to continue his football career because he would not be allowed to smoke marijuana; NBA star Rasheed Wallace’s endorsement of nature’s high is public knowledge; and once when basketball legend Charles Oakley was interviewed, he claimed that 60 percent of NBA players were regular pot smokers. At the Pride 33 mixed martial arts competition in Vegas, Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Nick Diaz fought a hard battle with Takanori Gomi and scored a well deserved victory. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission reversed the decision months later when they declared that Diaz failed a post-fight drug screening. They gave Nick a $3,000 fine, suspended him for six months, and overturned the fight decision because they say his THC level was so high that it gave him an unfair advantage. Isn’t that a flat-out acknowledgment of the benefits of cannabis?

Following the passing of superstar and friend Eddie Guerrero, a “Wellness Program” was institutes in the WWE. Eddie, known for his drug abusive past, had an enlarged heart, and it was heart disease that ended his life early. In reaction, wrestlers on contracts were given an enormous list of banned painkillers, fat burners, steroids,growth hormones, sleeping and waking drugs that were no longer tolerated, in addition to random piss-tests. Penalties for use included suspension without pay. When they took away the pharmaceuticals, most of the wrestlers switched to cannabis – which was not being tested for at the time – and many of the non-partaking peers started asking me for advice as they chose the safer pain-relieving alternative. There’s a reason that marijuana is the most commonly tried illegal drug – it rates high in safety and effectiveness. If more people knew just how incredibly it compares to prescription painkillers, anti-depressants and muscle relaxants in safety alone, we could see a change in the law. I personally know boxers, body builders, cyclists, runners, and athletes from all walks of life that train and/or compete with the assistance of marijuana, but they might not feel comfortable sharing this information. Demonization by the government has made it possible for them all to be kicked out of their profession for the use of marijuana – but not expelled for the use of alcohol, tobacco, or prescription drugs.

This seems to be the reason Mark Stepnoski retired after 13 years of NFL superstardom. As a Dallas Cowboy and a Houston Oiler, Mark won two Super Bowl rings before he shifted his energy in 2001 to become the president of the Texas chapter of NORML. Mark specifically wanted to dispel the myth that cannabis will prevent users from attaining their goals, and he uses his career as an example.

People ask me how I, as a role model for kids, can be so open about marijuana. I say: How can I not be? I’m in a high profile position and reach a lot of people – don’t I have an obligation to tell them the truth?

One reason WWE’s Attitude Era was so successful was because they didn’t give a crap about the politically correct suit and tie brigade and gave the people what they wanted. According to X-Pac his opponents’ “ass” was “grass” and he was “gonna smoke it”. The Godfather wanted the audience to “roll a big fatty for this pimp daddy”.

Today the company has done a 180, with Linda McMahon attempting to join the political elite they once rallied against. With growing pro-marijuana movements all around the world WWE should stay true to their Attitude and jump on the bandwagon. In an industry full of pain and death it’s the least they could do.