The Chicago Cubs are the first Major League Baseball (MLB), team to partner with a CBD company.
MLB announced last year its league-wide partnership with a CBD brand, but this is the first time an individual team has teamed up to a cannabis company.
The Cubs announced a deal on Friday with CBD sparkling beverage brand MYND DRINKS. It said that the agreement will see MYND DRINKS’ products promoted at Wrigley Field through signage and “several in-game elements”.
Last year, the league stated that each team could begin selling partnerships to cannabis companies . To do this, the products of a potential business must be certified by NSF International. This is a product-testing and consumer safety organization used by sports leagues. The club must also get authorization from the MLB commissioner.
“When MLB opened its CBD category for clubs, it enabled us to explore new partnership opportunities, offerings and offers,” Alex Seyferth of the Chicago Cubs’ vice president of corporate partnerships, stated in a press release. We are proud to have been the first to partner with a CBD business, but it was important for us to ensure that the brand was the right fit.
He said that MYND DRINKS, a Chicago-based company, promotes overall health and eases stressors in everyday life.
The Cubs will also release guided meditations on YouTube as part of their partnership launch. They will be narrated live by Pat Hughes, Cubs radio playby-play announcer.
To help fans unwind, the Cubs and @MyndDrinks have teamed up.
Enjoy a guided meditation narrated by the legendary Pat Hughes: https://t.co/mJSqqNgUlL pic.twitter.com/vutH3kbbJO
Chicago Cubs (@Cubs), April 7, 2023
The team also created a Spotify playlist called “Sounds of Wrigley Field”.
Simon Allen, CEO of MYND DRINKS, stated that MYND DRINKS is honored to announce a partnership with the Chicago Cubs. He also said that MYND DRINKS shares our vision for health and wellness in major league sport.
MLB is one of the most progressive professional sports teams in America when it comes to cannabis.
It stands out from other professional sports leagues in that it is more open to changing the marijuana policy landscape. It clarified, for example, in a 2020 memo, that players won’t face any penalties for using marijuana when they’re not working. However, they can’t be sponsored personally by a marijuana company nor hold investments in the industry.
Also, the league stated that NSF International was collaborating with it to analyze and certify legal, contaminant free CBD products so teams can store them on their premises.
This update was based on MLB’s 2019 decision to remove marijuana from its league’s banned substances list. Players who had tested positive for THC were required to undergo mandatory treatment. Failure to comply could result in a fine up to $35,000. This penalty has been eliminated.
These policies were the result of negotiations between MLB, its players union. Both sides agreed to focus on treatment and not penalities when approaching the league’s drug policy. For example, players who test positive for opioids and cocaine will only be punished if they refuse to receive treatment.
As laws change and medical applications become more accepted, a number of athletic governance organizations have relaxed their rules regarding cannabinoids.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), has been making headlines since it was reported that it was removing cannabis from its banned substances list and would not drug test for it in a new collective bargaining agreement.
A policy that allows players to promote, and invest in cannabis companies is part of the agreement between NBA and players’ union.
UFC stated in 2021 that they will no longer punish fighters for positive marijuana tests.
Separately, NCAA student athletes would not lose eligibility to play if they have a positive marijuana test according to rules that were recommended last year by a key committee.
The NFL’s drug-testing policy has been changed in 2020 by a collective bargaining agreement.
Under a collective bargaining agreement, NFL players are no longer subject to suspension for positive drug tests. Instead, they will be fined. Under the deal, the threshold for determining whether a person has a positive THC test was increased.
Snoop Dogg is a marijuana icon and was featured on the Super Bowl halftime shows last year. An ad that indirectly supported legalization was shown. It argued that leagues should stop testing their players for marijuana to allow them to use it instead of prescription opioids.
Texas House To Vote Next week On Allowing Medical Marijuana as an Opioid Alternative and Replacing THC Limit
The post Chicago Cubs Officially Partner with CBD Company appeared originally on Marijuana Moment.
