Rob Van Dam was talking openly about marijuana long before it became normal in wrestling, and Tracy Smothers warned him that doing it could make his life a whole lot harder.
During the One of a Kind podcast, RVD looked back at the period around 1998 or 1999 when he did an interview with High Times and started publicly pushing back against the way marijuana was viewed. Smothers saw what Van Dam was doing and immediately warned him that he was painting a target on himself. RVD said Smothers told him he could still smoke without turning it into a public stance. Smothers also warned Van Dam that openly talking about marijuana could follow him every time he traveled.
“I remember Tracy Smothers saying, ‘Man, you don’t do this, man. Just enjoy your weed. Go off in the corner where you’re not bothering anybody. You’re putting a big target on your back by doing this.’”
“He would say, ‘You’re gonna be stopped every time you go through airport security. They’re gonna be looking for whether you got weed. If you do this, man, you need to just be quiet about it.’”
RVD understood exactly what Smothers was telling him. He knew there could be consequences, but staying quiet was not what he wanted to do. Van Dam said he felt people were getting the wrong message about marijuana and believed speaking up was more important than keeping himself out of trouble.
“People need to know. People need to know that the reason marijuana is prohibited is all lies.”
RVD made it clear that even the possibility of getting busted or catching heat wasn’t enough to make him back down.
“For me, I felt like that was more important to me than if I get busted or somebody gives me shit because I have an unpopular belief.”
That attitude became a major part of Van Dam’s public identity over the years. Smothers warned him early that being outspoken could bring extra heat, and RVD basically decided he was willing to take it.
What do you make of Tracy Smothers warning RVD to keep his marijuana views quiet? Do you think Van Dam was right to speak out anyway? Leave your feedback in the comments and let us know.
