Big hits from Big Papi are back, with a twist, thanks to a new line of David Ortiz-branded cannabis products.
Ortiz, the former Red Sox slugger who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend, is enough of a cannabis aficionado to put his name behind a new line of curated “Papi Cannabis” products from RevBrands.
The first product will be available later this week, pre-rolled blunts called “Sweet Sluggers,” that are described by RevBrands as “filled with the finest flower containing Ortiz’s choice strains like Black Mamba #7, Lava Cake #7, Motorbreath #15 and Bootylicious #4.”
Advertisement
They contain flavorful terpenes, high THC content, and are rolled in non-tobacco blunt wrappers produced with tea leaves and hemp, the company said.
Ortiz, who retired in 2016, said he began using cannabis to combat persistent stress and pain that accompanied his on- and off-field activities. That discomfort was “out of control,” he said.
”I was in so much pain, and the medicine and all the pills and stuff, that messes your stomach up and I wasn’t able to put up with that,” said Ortiz. “I started with lotion, THC, and it helped, trust me.”
“It was magical, to be honest with you.”
Ortiz, who does not believe there should be any stigma attached to using cannabis in sports, was emphatic that it would have made no sense for him to use it recreationally, for example, before a game.
”The reality is, cannabis doesn’t help you with sports, I don’t think,” said Ortiz. “When you’re talking about sports, you’ve always got to be ready now, and cannabis slows you down. Trust me, I never tried, but if I ever tried to use cannabis before I went to the plate – I was just going to donate a bat.
Advertisement
”I think a lot of guys out there know what I’m talking about when it comes down to pain and relaxing. I’m pretty sure that a lot of athletes do what I did. And it’s normal.”
Ortiz laughed when he was asked if he was high at the moment and then got a little more serious when asked how he liked to get high, if he was a “wake-and-bake” type of weed consumer.
”It all depends how I feel, it all depends on the moment and what I’m doing – my focus, the way I deal with people, my kids, everybody,” said Ortiz. “It’s different, it’s more chill because I’m always on the run, I’m always rushing around and that never goes away. When I go to the flower or edibles, it’s back to what I like to be.”
Ortiz said he went to RevBrands’ growing laboratories to discuss his likes and dislikes before his Papi Cannabis strain was devised.
”I was able to, you know, exchange my mindset with them,” said Ortiz. “And I hope everybody enjoys.”
Additional products in the works include hash-oil infused pre-rolled blunts.
Ortiz hopes to have some of his products produced in his native Dominican Republic, including a one-hitter made of hand-carved GuayacanWood.Proceeds from that will be given back to the “community,” according to RevBrands.
Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.