In today’s Major League Baseball (MLB), cannabidiol (CBD) sits in a nuanced space between evolving drug policy, sports medicine practice, and shifting federal hemp rules. Understanding where CBD fits requires looking at both the league’s Joint Drug Program and how teams actually approach player health.

In late 2019, MLB and the MLB Players Association removed “natural cannabinoids”—including THC, CBD and marijuana—from the list of “Drugs of Abuse” in the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Instead of treating cannabis the way it treats opioids or cocaine, the league now handles marijuana-related conduct similarly to alcohol: players can use it legally off the field but may face evaluation or discipline if their behavior or performance raises concern, or if they show up impaired.

For CBD specifically, this shift opened the door for players to use hemp-derived products without automatic sanction under the major league drug program. Historically, minor league drug policies were stricter and explicitly listed CBD alongside marijuana as a “drug of abuse,” though these documents pre-date the major 2019 reforms and MLB’s later consolidation of MiLB, so policies have been evolving. In practical terms, players now weigh medical benefit against risk of contamination rather than fear of an automatic suspension.

Sports medicine staffs focus heavily on that contamination risk. While the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from its prohibited list starting in 2018, it kept THC banned in-competition above a threshold level and repeatedly cautioned that many CBD extracts contain enough THC to trigger a positive test. MLB echoed this concern in a 2020 memo advising clubs to rely on hemp-based CBD products tested and certified by NSF International to reduce the chance of unexpected THC or other contaminants.

Clinically, team doctors see CBD as one potential tool, especially for players dealing with chronic pain, sleep disturbances, or anxiety around the grind of a 162-game season. Early research suggests CBD may help with certain types of chronic pain and inflammation, though evidence is still limited and doses, delivery methods, and long-term safety are not firmly standardized. Many medical staffs therefore position CBD as a complementary option—something to consider alongside established treatments, not a magic replacement for physical therapy, rest, or approved medications.

Off the field, CBD is also becoming part of MLB’s commercial environment. The league’s partnership with Charlotte’s Web, a hemp-derived CBD brand, signaled that MLB is willing to associate its name with CBD products, although consumer advocates have urged caution and clearer oversight. At the same time, players remain barred from most direct sponsorship deals with cannabis companies, and team or league branding around intoxicating products is tightly controlled.

Adding another layer of complexity, federal regulators still do not treat CBD like an ordinary supplement. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains that CBD is not a lawful ingredient in conventional foods or dietary supplements without further rulemaking, which keeps labeling, dosing, and quality standards inconsistent. Recent federal moves to tighten hemp and THC rules could further constrict which products remain legal and widely available, particularly full-spectrum CBD and hemp beverages.

Taken together, CBD in pro baseball now occupies a cautiously permitted space: no longer a banned “drug of abuse” at the major-league level, increasingly visible in league partnerships, and tentatively used by some players under medical supervision. Yet it lives under a cloud of regulatory uncertainty and scientific “work in progress.” For players and teams, the smart approach is conservative—favor certified products, integrate CBD within a broader sports medicine plan, and stay alert as both MLB rules and federal hemp laws continue to evolve.