Paige Collett is done staying quiet. The JCW wrestler took to social media on October 18 to fire back at critics who judge her for smoking marijuana — revealing that medical cannabis is the reason she can still chase her wrestling dream while battling a debilitating chronic illness.
“People see me smoking and judge me & typecast me! I’m a strong advocate for medical marijuana. It has saved my life and it lets me continue to pursue my wrestling dream,” Collett wrote.
Collett says she has made the conscious choice to stay away from ketamine infusions and opioids, yet strangers still lump her in with recreational drug users the moment they see her smoking. “Because I’m brave enough to refuse ketamine infusions and opioids… I then have strangers see me smoke with other people and these other people do other drugs and they immediately think oh she’s a partier, when in reality I’m a chronically ill woman that is fighting for my life.”
Living With CRPS
Collett has been battling Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a condition that causes severe, relentless chronic pain. As previously reported, a bump during wrestling training under WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi left her disabled and eventually relying on a wheelchair.
Her road back was gruelling: years of doctors, excruciating pain, and the very real possibility that she might never wrestle again. She eventually fought her way back — even having to relearn how to walk. The pain does not clock out when she leaves the ring, either; Collett has spoken openly about how CRPS affects every part of her daily life.
“We need to end the stigma surrounding marijuana!” she added. For Collett, cannabis has kept her wrestling career alive through a condition that once took away her ability to walk — and she is not about to let people who do not know her medical history tell her how to manage her pain.
Fans Rally Behind Her
The response to Collett’s posts has been overwhelmingly supportive, with fans and fellow wrestlers praising her honesty. Many shared their own experiences with chronic pain and medical cannabis, turning her timeline into an impromptu discussion about how little outsiders understand about living with an invisible illness.
Collett’s message is simple: judge the person, not the prescription. After everything she has fought through to get back in the ring, she has earned the right to manage her pain her way.
Paige Collett (Credits: Ringside News)
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Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
