As of this Tuesday, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams can sell CBD sponsorships.
The MLB Commissioner’s office informed teams that sponsors will need to be certified by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a global health and safety organization, to ensure the CBD products are pure CBD isolate (not containing THC). All CBD sponsors must be approved by the commissioner’s office.
CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabis compound, has been used by many athletes to treat muscle soreness and decrease competition anxiety, among other health challenges athletes face. It’s been shown to improve sleep and decrease inflammation for many users.
Several athletes in other sports have begun partnering with CBD companies in the last few years, including U.S. women’s soccer stars Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.
Additionally, many professional sports organizations allow their athletes to use CBD. Among these are the International Olympic Committee and the National Football League (NFL).
MLB was one of the first professional sports organizations to permit athletes to use CBD, officially removing it from their banned substances list in 2019.