After Over 40 Surgeries, King Mo Explains Why He Chose Marijuana Over Opioids For Pain

by Percy Crawford

2X World-champion and Indy pro wrestling star, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal explains how being high at all times helps him live a normal life after multiple surgeries stemming from his wrestling and fighting career.

What’s good with you, Mo? 

King Mo: Everything going good, man. I’m out here in Tokyo until like the 31st. I’m just here coaching and chillin.

What are the laws in Tokyo in terms of marijuana?

King Mo: Nigga, the law is, if you get caught with marijuana out here, you in trouble. I brought edibles in shit instead (laughing). It’s serious over here. So, you either have to be slick, or don’t bring it at all. I was thinking, I got candy. Let me eat some candy real quick, and it won’t look like nothing. 

What do you feel are the different affects of smoking it, chewing edibles and the other methods used to getting it in your system?

King Mo: When you smoke it, it gives you a head high and a light body high. It depends on how strong the marijuana is, you can get a small little body high, but it’s mostly a head high. When you eat it, it’s a body high, man. It will crush you. Put you under. When you dab it, that’s when you get it real concentrated; it’s like wax. When you smoke that, that gets you high too because it’s a higher concentration of THC than the actual sour, the green, the bud. Truth be told, you want to get messed up and get really-really high, eat it or dab it. 

What is your preference?

King Mo: Man… I’m into edibles. I like that strong. I like hybrids. Truth be told, I don’t believe in the whole indica sativa thing. I don’t believe in those highs. Maybe it could be different because the terpene profile changes your high, but for the most part, indica sativa to me, describes the type of plant. 

What made you get into it so heavy from researching it because you’re obviously knowledgeable of it, to becoming a user of it?

King Mo: Pain! I’ve had so many surgeries. It got to the point where, when I walk, I was hurting, when I would sit up, I was hurting, when I stood too long, I was hurting, sitting down, I was hurting; just laying in bed, I was hurting. I was getting cortisone shots in my hip and all that stuff. I realized, I had to do something different to mask the pain. I didn’t want to take any pain pills. I’m not a pill-popper. So, I started messing with some edibles. The edibles had me feeling good, but it took too long. So, what I started doing was smoking. I would smoke and eat some edibles. I stay high all day. To me, that was the most effective way to cure this pain that I was always in. 

When you say, a lot of surgeries, clarify that for the ones who don’t know. 

King Mo: Man… over 40. Well over 40. 

Do you feel like the people that look down on cannabis use is just uneducated on the plant? 

King Mo: They are very uneducated about it. If you look at the states where marijuana has been legalized in, you see a decrease in opioid usage. Or even where CBD is legalized, you see the addiction to opioid rates slowly decline; violent crimes, all that shit declines. Look at Oklahoma. Oklahoma was the meth-capitol of the United States. They just introduced medicinal use marijuana, you’re about to start seeing stuff drop. People talk about it’s a gateway drug, truth be told, the truth gateway drugs to me, are tobacco and alcohol. You never see anyone off the rip say, “You know what, I’m going to smoke weed.” They start with either tobacco or alcohol. People trippin. 

How do you feel physically now that you have found a way to deal with some of your surgical pains because although you retired from competitive MMA, you still train and wrestle?

King Mo: I’m a pro wrestler with, MLW [Major League Wrestling]. Every month I have about two or three matches; MLW, Blueprint and some other Independent stuff. So, I’m still active. I’m still in the gym here and there when they need me to jump in and drill with people. I just want to be pain free. I want to be able to walk around with no limp, I want to be able to move around and live normal. Limping and hobbling around is not the business. 

Would you suggest people start with hemp oil or CBD before trying cannabis strains of any kind, or does that depend on the individual?

King Mo: To me, it’s all in the individual. Personally, I think CBD is a joke. I don’t like it; unless its full spectrum mixed with THC. I feel like CBD has become the new Acai. Remember back in the day when people were on Acai? They were like, “Acai cures cancer,” but come to find out, they over exaggerated the damn claims. That’s how CBD is now. CBD is good for small things; anti-anxiety and relaxation. But I’ve heard people say, “Man, I tweaked my knee, I’m going to rub some CBD cream on it.” And do what? “I hurt my back and my shoulder, I’m in so much pain, I’m going to take a few CBD drops.” And do what? If you’re in bad pain, you better take some THC, or get you some weed or edibles. CBD will do nothing unless it’s something minor. 

How do you feel the process of legalized marijuana globally is coming along?

King Mo: I think it’s moving forward, but I think it probably won’t be globally legalized for another 5 or 6 years; maybe even longer. In my opinion, it seems like a lot of states won’t legalize it, until it’s federally legalized. 

You’re seeing more athletes admit to marijuana use during their career and a lot of guys from combat sports are getting involved in the legalized marijuana game; you, Anthony Johnson and Mike Tyson come to mind. Where there is smoke, there is fire, so there has to be some remedy in it for guys who physically abuse their bodies for years finding refuge in it. 

King Mo: Personally, with me, when I’m high, I analyze things better, I’m clearer, I speak better as you see right now (laughing). It’s 4:00 in the morning out here and I’m high already. I just feel like it calms me down, helps me relax, kills the pain, and I just feel like it slows life down for me. It makes things easier to handle. Sometimes, you’re on the go so much, everything is a blur. When I’m high, things slow down and I can explain things a lot easier. 

Let me play devil’s advocate for a second. What about the people who will say that everything you just said is a mental thing and you’re being tricked into thinking you need weed?

King Mo: They would be trippin because I deal with pain, I have anxiety, I have hyperthyroidism. I can tell you this, smoking weed has helped stimulate my appetite a little more. Even though I’ve loss weight, it helps me stimulate my appetite a little more. With my anxiety, I tend to rush my words and overthink too much. But when I’m high, things come one at a time. When I’m not high, my thoughts be all over there place. I can be holding a conversation with somebody about a fight, and a thousand thoughts will pop up in my head at the same time. It’s different for me because I’ve dealt with anxiety for so long. When I say anxiety, I mean, just the overthinking and thoughts rushing through my head. That’s why I don’t sleep good. 

Be sure to hit King Mo up on his Instagram for his products @kingmofh