I have to do. In my industry, we
don’t get the luxury, I guess you’d
call it, of a lot of natural deaths. I
don’t hear about friends passing
in their sleep. It’s usually car
accidents, overdoses or suicides.
Walking through that cemetery,
it was just such an eye-opener.
At the end of the day, it all comes
down to a name on a piece of
stone. And I wrote something
about that in the [2007] song
‘Never Enough’ as well.
“I think people overlook [the
idea that] you are just a shadow in
the end,” he continues. “It’s really
what you do here, the legacy and
the things you’re willing to accept
and face—demons, if you will. And
that’s why ‘I Apologize’ meant so
much to me. It was literally that.
Facing death. There was a person
outside of that who was willing to
fight for a better way.”
Growing up in Colorado,
Moody was already educated on
the benefits of CBD and THC. To
aid in his recovery, the 39-year-old
turned to those tried-and-true
methods to combat the stress
and anxiety that often comes with
everyday life. He also decided to
create Moody’s Medicinals, his
own brand of CBD products.
“Now that it’s in the public
eye and people are finally taking
note,” Moody says, “I was like,
‘I’ve been into this for so long,
why not give something back?’
There are people out there who
are just cashing in on the idea.
That’s gonna happen. But instead
of cashing in on it, I thought I
should add something to it so
people understand it works.”
Moody has wrestled with his
own demons for decades, and he
insists CBD has changed his life.
“Here I am, the singer of this
big rock band, and I have serious
anxiety problems,” he admits. “I
hate flying and the small things
that come with day-to-day life.
But I don’t want to be on Ritalin or
[other prescription pharmaceu-
ticals]. Now that I don’t drink and
I’ve gotten rid of that part of my
life, I wanted to find something
to help me bring me back to my
core. For me, THC and CBD are
no-brainers.
“I was skeptical, too,” he adds.
“There’s always going to be thepossibility for addicts to go over-
board with anything—you can do
that with coff ee, Pepsi, cigarettes,
shopping—but to understand
that and be able to hold yourself
accountable and use CBD for
what it’s intended to be used for,
that’s a personal thing. They will
get better results out of using
CDB oils or THC than just about
anything out there, and I will put
my name on it.”
And he did. Moody’s Medici-
nals boasts CBD-infused water
and throat sprays, which can help
consumers tame their anxiety
and recover from inflamma-
tion. The products also provide
support for the body’s immune
system and help relieve stress
from everyday activities and
responsibilities.
But Moody has faced some
controversy. People in recovery
have their opinions on using
CBD and THC products, and they
sometimes accuse him of not34 HIGH TIMES I OCTOBER 2019
being sober because he con-
sumes the products, something
he’s pushed back against.
“I’ve gotten so much heat
already from the recovery com-
munity,” Moody explains. “It’s
really half and half. [Some people
say,] ‘You can’t be sober if you’re
doing CBD and if you believe in
THC products and you accept
marijuana.’ I think that’s abso-
lutely ridiculous. This is 2019. We
are not in the ‘devil’s lettuce’ era.
Nobody is that fucking stupid.
My disease is alcohol. I’ve met
hundreds of people in recovery
[for] other hard narcotics, and
CBD and marijuana is something
we’ve turned to in place of a lot ofPAUL^ BRICKMAN(^2 )over-the-counter drugs.”
Moody says the odds were
immediately stacked against
him. “I wasn’t supposed to make
it a week,” he confesses. “I went
straight from rehab to going on
tour. That’s a dead zone. I was
surrounded by it. For me, that was
resilience. I knew if I was going to
get through that, I was going to
make it. I have a phoenix tattooed
on my skull. That’s a reminder to
myself that we can fucking do this
and I’m not going to be controlled
by a substance. That’s the reason
CBD came into my life. Here’s a
natural way to relieve those ten-
sions and stresses that go hand-
in-hand with my recovery.”
Although he’s armed with
the tools necessary to get him
through the gauntlet of day-
to-day living, Moody knows all
too well how life can lead to
substance abuse. Despite being
raised by loving parents, he’ll
be the first to admit he had a
rough upbringing and eventually
turned to alcohol to cope.
“It is what it is,” Moody says. “I
was never accepted. I was always
the black sheep. Molestation was
in my family. Addiction. Poverty.
There were things I noticed
growing up that turned into
scar tissue. Those are the things
that aff ect my relationships on
a daily basis. They aff ect the
way I deal with the world, how
I comprehend my decisions or
lack thereof. All of those things
stem from being a person and
not being a fucking rock star, and
understanding that I have emo-
tions and that I am human.” mGOOD AS GOLD
Five Finger Death Punch have released seven studio
albums. All seven have been certified either gold or
platinum, making FFDP one of the most successful
metal bands of the decade. In May 2019, the group
announced that an eighth album is in the works."There are people out there who are just
cashing in on the idea [of legal cannabis].
That’s gonna happen. But instead of cashing
in on it, I thought I should add something
to it so people understand it works.”ENTERTAINMENTMoody
has a new
outlook, in
part because
of his CBD
line Moody's
Medicinals
(right).