Trulieve’s medical director, Dr. William Troutt, says pickleball and cannabis share many similarities.
Pickleball has been growing more popular with older people, and Troutt said he is seeing the same rise in popularity of cannabis for the same demographic.
That’s why Trulieve inked a partnership with the Professional Pickleball Association last April, marking the first cannabis sponsorship for the rapidly growing sport.
The historic partnership was a sign of the professional sports world opening up to the concept of cannabis use and the benefits it can bring to athletes.
Troutt said the deal was a “benchmark” of cannabis acceptance in sports.
“I believe it’s a benchmark of where cannabis is as far as its acceptance with a national sports organization agreeing to partner with Trulieve and realizing the benefit,” Troutt said. “The point of the partnership is to raise awareness of both pickleball and cannabis and bring attention to how cannabis can support amateur and professional athletes.”
Troutt, 53, grew up playing tennis but has drifted toward pickleball as he ages. He said cannabis helps him recover from aches and pains after a day on the court.
“With cannabis, the largest increasing demographic is people in my age group,” Troutt said. “As far as the increase of cannabis use and our seniors, I definitely have some aches and pains after I get off a hard day at the court and I can’t take over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. They upset my stomach…That’s, I think, one of the greatest benefits about cannabis is its safety and its low potential for physical toxicity.”
Troutt attended the Carvana PPA Tour event in Mesa in mid-February and said many attendees told him that they use cannabis to help with sleep, muscle relaxation and recovery.
A common stigma associated with cannabis is that it can only be smoked, but Troutt said Trulieve is spreading the word that there are a variety of consumption methods including nasal sprays, tinctures, edibles and topicals.
“That’s one of the things that we’re sharing while we’re out at these pickleball tournaments, is information about the other forms of the medicine and different types of products ranging from edibles to topicals,” Troutt said.
Troutt noted said many people he spoke with enjoy topicals because they can be applied directly to certain spots. Others combine topicals and edibles.
Trulieve’s goal is to break the stigma surrounding cannabis use through education. While he did note that it is easier to get people on board in Arizona, a state that legalized medical cannabis use in 2010, he said the stops at PPA events have been received well.
“We see people are much more willing in the state of Arizona than I see in other places about having those conversations, but we’ve been received very well at the pickleball tournaments as far as people being willing and open to talk about cannabis and how it helps them,” Troutt said. “And then just the ones that may not be using cannabis now are really excited to get some good education and information on how it can potentially benefit them with their active lifestyles.”
Troutt said Trulieve looks forward to continuing its partnership with the PPA and wants to build relationships with other sports organizations.
“We’re excited to continue this relationship and relationships with more professional sports associations as they become open to it,” Troutt said.
