Capitalizing on CBD: New market opportunities with athletes

(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the September issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.)

Athletes have long used cannabis products to fight inflammation and recover from injury, but drug-testing rules and marijuana stigma have often kept it a locker-room secret.

That’s all changing now, thanks to CBD.

The cannabinoid has given athletes the ability to tap into the healing properties of cannabis without the intoxicating effects.

CBD got an even bigger boost among athletes in January, when the World Anti-Doping Agency removed cannabidiol from its list of banned substances.

The change freed athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea to use CBD and has prompted a surge in products aimed at athletes.

Now, producers are using new marketing strategies to position their products as healthy choices for professional athletes and weekend warriors.

It requires a different strategy than marketing cannabis for a recreational or medicinal audience.

So, how do you sell CBD to this niche market?

Click here to get tips from entrepreneurs who are successfully navigating the market to sell CBD to athletes.

(This story appeared as part of a series on the CBD market. Catch up here with an overview of the CBD market and stay tuned for stories about marketing CBD to seniors, plus a look at the surge in CBD-only retailing.)