Throughout NFL history there are few athletes like Adam "PACMAN" Jones, that have defined greatness and changed the game on a global level. Captivating the hearts of fans with his tenacious play on the field and ferocious appetite to be the best, Adam has led the charge and today is moving the Sports Cannabis conversation forward as an entrepreneur and advocate.
Jones attended West Virginia University where he made a name for himself before being drafted into the NFL in 2005 by the Tennessee Titans as the 6th overall pick He spent 12 seasons dominating the game with the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos, with highlights that include; NFL All-Rookie Team, PFWA All-AFC selection, First Team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl Selection
Credit ADAM PAC MAN JONESSince retiring, Adam’s shifted his focus to the youth and is giving back to the community, using his platform to shed light on his journey with mental health, wellness and the importance of speaking up. There are few movers like Adam, and despite being retired he continues to make plays and be a leader for athletes across the globe as a co-host of one of the most prolific sports podcasts, I Am Athlete.
Changing the Sports Cannabis narrative as a thought leader, advocate and entrepreneur, Adam launched PAC24 a CBD lifestyle brand and personally selected his favorite strains to share with the world Adding new products every month he’s cultivated a unique line for athletes and cannabis connoisseurs across North America In late 2022, he continued his offthe-field dominance with the announcement of a partnership with Berner, Cookies on a new strain entitled “Pac Man” which can be found across California Cookies and Lemonade stores
Moving the conversation forward, Adam "PACMAN" Jones joined Jay Morzaria of Sports Cannabis to talk about mental health, wellness and the PACMAN movement.
Adam, it's a pleasure to be able to chat with you today, thanks for joining us on Sports Cannabis, I truly appreciate it, how are you keeping?
“Thanks for having me, man. This is a great platform that you have right here and the change you’re giving athletes to talk about different things within the cannabis space. ”
J M
Before we take a deep dive into everything you’ve taken on since retiring and continue to push forward in the Cannabis industry, lets’ talk football, a game that you dominated, from West Virginia University to the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. What was it about the sport that ultimately made you want to make a career out of it?
“Being an inner city kid, that was our way of getting out of the projects and something that took our mind off of what was going on around the neighbourhood as well as what you did and didn’t have... I fell in love with sports at five years old and wrote a poem about it when I was young and in the first grade; “Jones is my name, Basketball and Football is my game, One day, I'm gonna make it to the NFL, or the NBA Hall of Fame.”
To this day, my mom still has that poem. I've always felt that I would be special, so I worked hard and prepared myself. God blessed me with a lot of God-gifted talent and good genes. I made sure that I worked hard, I stayed down and stayed true to what I knew, which was the task at hand. A lot of guys that were in my neighbourhood were way better athletes than I was, but they couldn’t stick to what they needed to do as far as grades, getting to practice and little things. I saw a lot of guys in front of me go through the hurdles and learned from their experiences so that I could make sure that I didn't fail...”
You manifested your destiny. Fast forward in life, you’re playing the game you love on the biggest stage in the world and have achieved your childhood dream There’s a saying, “ you can play injured, but you can’t play hurt”. We’ve spoken to past retired NFL athletes, who have alluded to the prevalence of opioids, and different solutions that are prescribed to stay ingame ready. For you, as a Cornerback and Returns Specialist, what was that experience like?
Adam PACMAN Jones“I've always smoked, let me say that for the Sports Cannabis community. Besides the time that I was in the program, I've smoked most of my career Unfortunately, I’ve had to deal with a neck and shoulder surgery which was when the opioids were prescribed. Those medications came with a long list of side effects like mood swings, depression, and addiction. With Cannabis, there are so many different strains that can really help you dial in the way that you need to
For me, now that I’m older and putting my body first, I don't want to take those pills if I don't need them. There is a time and place when you may have to take the pills, but my preference has and always will be cannabis. There are so many incredible cannabis options that provide great alternatives to healing and that can help in a variety of ways. There’s terps, different strains, resin, THC pills, the entire flower and so much more… I’m a big believer in THC, and that’s why I teamed up with cookies and came out with the Pac Man line.”
Looking back, when were you introduced to Cannabis for recovery and relief and what was your ah-ha moment, when did it ultimately click?
“After my first neck surgery, the pain was unbearable, I was eating Percocets by the second I started smoking weed without papers and started getting into live resin. The relief that I got from the resin and the weed was so much better than taking the Percocets and other stuff that it made me get dialed into everything with cannabis. I started learning about terpenes, and different strains, understanding what they can do from a wellness perspective as well as the ability cannabis had to improve mental health. I got so dialed in that now I can break down a person’s stress or what they are going through and recommend whether to go the Sativa or Indica route
Despite retiring, the injuries and constant wear and tear from decades of playing at an elite level still affect your body. How does Cannabis help you today and where do you find it provides the best sense of relief?
The big thing is pain and sleeping. So, with the Pac Man strain, all I need to do is smoke two spliffs and then I’m able to sleep like a baby as well as feel perfectly fine the next morning.”
“The whole Pac Man project and movement has been about trying to find a strain that provides improvement for mental health, wellness, pain, depression, anxiety and sleepless nights. That's how I came up with the Biscotti crossed with the Jealousy F2, which today is the Pac Man strain. It’s what is needed for me right now. I'd be lying to you if I told you my mental health is a ten, because it’s not at a ten. Right now it’s probably about seven to seven and a half, and my wellness is probably about an eight. Thankfully I’m not suffering from depression or feeling depressed at all. With anxiety, it’s mediocre, I’m not too anxious or anything like that which is why I'm smoking.
In 2020 you used your platform to foster a larger conversation, one of cannabis advocacy, education as well as putting mental health and awareness on the front stage. What made you want to use your platform to normalize the plant as well as share your story with mental health and wellness?
“The main reason why I shared my story was because; when I went to McLean Hospital, they asked me a lot of different questions, and while I was listening to them I came to the realization that my mom had a lot of the symptoms that they were talking about So, I called her and was like, “Yo mom, are you Bi Polar?” and at that moment she admitted to dealing with the disease and having to take medicine for it… "
"When we finally had that conversation I realized that this was my chance to let the kids know it's okay to have an issue or an underlying medical issue. It's all about knowing what you’re dealing with, understanding the triggers and learning how to get better. Getting a sense of what you need to take and,or how do you cope with it and where to go from there.
That was the biggest point for me, using my voice and platform, because it’s affecting more and more kids, whether it's growing up in million dollar homes, the projects or a trailer park, they need to hear it’s going to be ok and that they have support… I wanted to use my voice and story to encourage kids to ask questions, to understand it’s ok to get help and not be ashamed to say; “Hey I have an underlying anger or bipolar issue..” So that's why I’ve tried to use my voice to draw attention to situations like that because I don't want them to be afraid to get help… That's the biggest point I'm trying to convey to the kids these days, is that it’s ok to need help… ”
That is the most important message these days, regardless of which country you live in, or what your background is, it’s about creating a positive ripple and encouraging others to ask questions…
“I totally agree and that’s why we have this platform… It’s to make sure that we are at least spreading a message so that our kids or our kid’s kids won’t be ashamed to speak up or talk with a counselor That’s what it’s all about… ” J M
We’ve spoken about advocacy work, inspiring the youth, as well as the injuries you sustained throughout your career and your cannabis ah-ha moment. As a former elite athlete that is also a global icon and influencer have you ever faced any negative repercussions for the use of cannabis?
When I first started talking about putting out a cannabis line I had so many people say “You know how many athletes have lost their career because of smoking weed?...” My response has always been, “Look, that's not my problem… All you need is discipline to do what you need and to smoke… you only get tested one time in the football season, so it’s ultimately on you at the end of the day” However, today in 2022, it’s a much different conversation compared to back in, ‘05, ‘09, ‘10, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17 or even ‘18. The cannabis game is in a different place, and as you know, no one is getting suspended if you flunk the drug test. There are repercussions if you don't pass them, but today the game and the space has changed. We're using a lot of CBD products infused with THC for pain relief and the technology has changed as well… There’s gels, icy hot creams and so many more options out there today… The game has changed and it’s so much bigger than just flower… ”
Adam PACMAN Jones
Today, you’re making waves off the field and in the cannabis industry. It all started with the launch of your CBD and THC company called PAC24…
“I started the CBD company seven years ago and we keep getting bigger and bigger. We’ve got our own producers, machines and equipment that make our products. Today, the CBD game has blown up and become a big part of our movement. We have everything you need on www.PAC24.shop, from tinctures, to flower, live resin, gummies and accessories… Whatever you need. We pretty much got on the CBD side.”
Continuing your domination in the cannabis industry, you made headlines across North America in late 2022 partnering with Berner and Cookies. Talk to us about the partnership with Berner and how the PACMAN strain came to fruition?
“Man, Berner and I’ve been working on this project for probably about seven, eight years. Popping flower and smoking different strains, talking about different ideas Berner would say “It ain’t time yet” and I'm like, Berner, “it’s time” and he’s like “Not yet. We need to smoke again. Smoke again. Do you like these? Let's cross it with the Biscotti and the Jealousy F2, let’s make sure we have the perfect the blend… ” , and essentially that’s how we came up with the Pac Man strain. Berner and I were already good friends and I’ve always called him about different ideas, asked different questions and I’m always trying to pick his brain because I'm trying to get better every day. We popped so many different seeds to come up with this and collectively, we picked the best product to release for the community If you haven’t smoked it yet, I highly suggest you get some… I’m actually smoking it right now. I’ve smoked a ton of cannabis throughout my life and I can truly say this is the best strain on the market… ”
How important was it for you to have a flower, a strain that truly represented you?
“Berner really made sure that the product had to be right… Most of the first batches weren’t right, so we would go back to the lab and perfect it… If you look at my entire highlight tape, the moral of the story is that, no matter where you come from, the skies the limit and always push for the stars… That’s with any job… It doesn’t matter if you're black, white or any color, my mentality has always been that when you see me, you think; that’s a stand up guy, he’s always going to give you 110%, he enjoys life and above all he works hard, because I always go hard… Collectively we knew when we put out Pac Man, it had to be it, the best product out there… ”
J M
Why was it essential for you to collaborate with Berner/Cookies for the release of the strain and talk to us about the PACMAN movement, the ripple you’re creating for athletes and consumers around the world?
Adam
“Put it like this, Cookies and Berner are the Michael Jordan of the Cannabis industry."
"If you’re going to put out a Jordan shoe, who are you going to go with? Michael Jordan…Cookies is the biggest and best brand. It stands for what I stand for, obviously, I stand for what Berner stands for… IN BERNER WE TRUST It fits me as well as my brand. I've been watching the brand for 10 years, I've been close with Berner for seven years, Cookies is just where it’s at brother… There’s no reason for me to go and do a half step, so when we did this, we put our feet on the ground, and we made sure to do it right It's just about smoking with the best and being the best, so being with Berner and Cookies, that’s a no brainer… ” J M
Today there are athletes around the world following your movement off the field as a thought leader, cannabis advocate and entrepreneur, what advice would you offer them?
“I would say do your homework, and if you really want to dive into this, don't just pay somebody to speak the strain… If you really want to do this, dive in, know what you’re crossing your weed with, get to know what you like to smoke and do your homework… It's not a get rich overnight thing, it takes dedication and commitment because it’s a long process... Like I said, it took us seven years to do this… And if you need some advice or help, holler at me
