On any given summer night, you’ll find plenty of MLB fans who are perfectly comfortable cracking a cold one and lighting up a pre-roll before first pitch. After all, most Americans now live in states where cannabis is legal in some form, and national polling shows strong support for legalization. Recent Gallup and Pew data suggest roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults back legal marijuana, and nearly 9 in 10 support at least medical use.
But inside Major League Baseball, the relationship with cannabis is still complicated—and the stigma hasn’t fully vanished.
On paper, the league has come a long way. In 2019, MLB and the MLBPA removed natural cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, from the Joint Drug Program’s list of “Drugs of Abuse.” Marijuana use is now treated more like alcohol, with a focus on evaluation and treatment rather than automatic suspensions. Educational programs on cannabis and opioids became mandatory, signaling that the league was finally willing to talk about weed as a health and safety issue, not just a moral failing.
At the same time, league messaging still sends mixed signals. Fact sheets and team-level communications stress that MLB and certain clubs do not “condone” cannabis use, and players can face discipline for cannabis-related conduct like distribution or driving under the influence. That’s sensible from a safety standpoint, but it also keeps cannabis parked in that “risky behavior” bucket in the minds of many officials.
The sponsorship side tells an even clearer story about lingering stigma. In 2022, MLB became the first of the “Big Four” leagues to allow CBD sponsorships, as long as brands meet strict testing and NSF certification standards. The league even signed a high-profile deal with Charlotte’s Web, putting the MLB logo on a CBD sports tincture and framing it as part of a modern “health and wellness regimen” for players and fans.
Yet, THC-focused cannabis brands are still off-limits for player partnerships and team sponsorships. League guidance has been clear: players may use cannabis legally in their personal lives, but they cannot take money from state-licensed cannabis companies or promote THC products. That bright line says a lot. CBD is being cautiously embraced as a wellness product, while psychoactive cannabis remains something MLB doesn’t want on jerseys, outfield walls or official social feeds.
Fans, meanwhile, are ahead of the curve—but not unanimous. National surveys show broad backing for legalization, but there are deep splits on whether it makes communities safer or more dangerous, and whether it’s good for local economies. In traditional, more conservative baseball markets, some longtime fans still associate cannabis with laziness, “distraction,” or off-field trouble, even as younger fans see it as no more controversial than a craft beer at the ballpark.
So is there still a negative stigma about cannabis among MLB officials and fans? The honest answer: yes, but it’s evolving fast. The league has moved from punishment to harm reduction, from zero-tolerance to CBD sponsorships. Players no longer fear automatic suspensions for a joint. But the cautious language, the ban on THC endorsements, and the uneven comfort level in different markets make it clear that cannabis hasn’t fully stepped out of the shadows.
For consumers and fans, that tension is worth watching. As public opinion keeps warming and more states legalize, pressure will grow on MLB to align its culture and sponsorship rules with how people actually live—and consume—around the game.
