WWE’s medical director Dr. Joseph Maroon says WWE decided to ban Carisoprodol (somas) due to a realization that “some of the talent” were struggling with addiction issues.
“We’ve become aware that (it) was becoming a very addictive type of drug,” Maroon told the Hartford Courant in today’s important newspaper report on prescription drug issues in wrestling. “When combined with codeine, it can have the potency of heroin.”
Maroon added: “Because some of the talent have used it in the past, we’ve decided there are other substitute drugs that (are) less addictive that are available,” he said.
WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman said WWE was looking to “close new loopholes” in the company’s Wellness Policy, which is why they added muscle relaxants, including Somas, to the list of banned drugs. A positive test for Somas will now lead to applicable punishment for WWE wrestlers.
On the concussion front, Maroon added that WWE is attempting to “minimize head injuries” by requiring padded helmets in training sessions and going to WWE’s developmental territory to require wrestlers to practice punching techniques on dummies.
