Backstage Update On WWE Drug Use, More On Mysterio

Just days after publishing a Wrestling Observer Newsletter issue that said the "the crackdown on marijuana has somewhat subsided," F4WOnline.com reports that the marijuana penalty fee–the "pot tax"–has been doubled to $2,000. Sources say that frequent abusers are also being tested more frequently, with the hope on WWE's end being that the combination of a steeper fine and an increase in failed tests will result in users wholly eliminating or at least cutting back their use.

News on the drug that led to Rey Mysterio's thirty day WWE Wellness suspension has not yet broken, but sources within the industry have found another aspect of the saga rather interesting. There is interest in the fact that WWE announced Mysterio's failure–and the fact that he begins serving his suspension after next week's SmackDown! taping–prior to his losing the title. For wrestling fans aware of the impending suspension, WWE's method of handling the matter seems to spoil a likely title change next week and make WWE's continued advertising of Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio for Breaking Point seem deliberately misleading.

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