Notes on marijuana use and the WWE Wellness Policy

Today is “4:20” and WWE Superstars can celebrate with no worries as talents have recently told Fightful Select how they have not been suspended or fined for marijuana use in years.

This is a progressive change from the policy that is still on the books as in the past WWE would issue a $2,500 fine for positive marijuana tests.

It was noted by one WWE talent that they still get tested for “everything,” but WWE officials do not hand down fines for marijuana anymore. The section of the WWE Wellness Policy was rumored to have been quietly removed, but it is still listed on the WWE Corporate website. The section of the Wellness Policy reads like this:

B. FOR POSITIVE MARIJUANA DRUG TESTS

In the event of any positive test for marijuana, the WWE Talent shall be fined Two Thousand Five Hundred US Dollars ($2,500.00) per positive test, which shall be deducted from the WWE Talent’s downside guarantee.

Word is that before the policy was redacted, RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton was an integral figure in influencing a change on the main roster. Orton’s tag team partner, Riddle, was said to be outspoken about penalties for marijuana use in WWE NXT, as was Kona Reeves, who was released in August 2021. There was internal push-back by top stars before that, going back to the 1990s when WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was very outspoken about anti-weed positions, noting that pot use was a safer alternative than the other ways some wrestlers chose to cope with the rigors of the road.

A WWE higher-up reportedly noted, “I haven’t even heard anyone as much as gossip over one of the boys or girls smoking weed in years, much less a fine being handed down for it. A lot of the perception has changed, and a lot of what Bret was talking about way back when ended up ringing true. I don’t expect us to come out with WWE themed cannabis incense any time soon, but the has policy has been relaxed and we’ve used a lot of that culture in our storylines.”

Stay tuned for more.