Trulieve, a multi-state cannabis conglomerate, has become an official partner of the Ultimate Frisbee Association as the worlds of weed and athletics continue to mesh.

The one-year alliance will give the cannabis brand front-and-center exposure at the league’s games in Maryland, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. With options to extend in both duration and geography, the deal will include on-site, education-based activations, signage, and logo’d team gear. 

The relationship gives one of the largest weed companies in the country entree to an emerging professional sport that draws a 50-50 male-female audience, with much of the crowd falling into the coveted 21-to-35-year-old demographic.

“It’s an impressive league with a passionate following, and many in that generation have turned away from alcohol and are exploring plant-based alternatives,” Gina Collins, Trulieve’s CMO, told ADWEEK. “It leads naturally to a conversation we can have with them about health and wellness.”

UFA, with 24 teams spread across the U.S. and Canada, starts its 2025 season later this month, ending with a tournament in August. The league, whose gravity-defying highlights often air on ESPN, becomes the latest sport to forge ties with cannabis.

“The world of health and wellness for athletes has evolved,” according to Tim DeByl, UFA’s CEO and commissioner, who said the collab will help “educate and expand resources for both physical and mental health for players and fans.”

Previously, cannabis retailer Verilife broke ground with a 2022 sponsorship of the American Hockey League’s championship-winning Chicago Wolves, which included face time during the team’s televised games and in its home stadium, Allstate Arena.

That alliance happened shortly after MLB announced a precedent-setting deal with Charlotte’s Web, while pro sports ranging from IndyCar to the National Women’s Soccer League have worked with cannabis brands.

Famous cannapreneurs

Meanwhile, star athletes have turned into cannapreneurs at a steady rate for the past several years—Ricky Williams, Calvin Johnson, Al Harrington, Marshawn Lynch, and Mike Tyson among them. 

NBA legend Carmelo Anthony is one of the latest to launch his own weed line, called STAYME7O and selling now in Oregon and New York, along with agency Grand National, aimed at promoting other brands in the space.

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At the same time, many of the country’s mainstream pro leagues have relaxed their rules about cannabis, with some no longer testing athletes for THC. Current and former players have become more publicly vocal about their cannabis use, calling it beneficial for recovery, rest, pain relief, and focus.

Relationships like Trulieve and UFA can continue the stigma-busting momentum by leaning into awareness-building and information, Collins said.

“If consumers aren’t in the cannabis community, their first reaction may be, ‘is this about getting high?’” Collins said. “That might not be too relatable, so we focus the discussion on cannabis as a solution and an option.”

Trulieve, which operates in eight U.S. states, has linked with UFA as the sport is capturing more attention, via its subscription streaming service and free YouTube games, and vying for inclusion in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.

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Along with on-site experiential marketing, the deal will fan out across co-branded digital and social content, including sponsored player profiles on X and other canna-friendly platforms, as UFA sheds a throwback image as a casual game for college students.

“They have a stereotype, too,” Collins said. “But watching their games, they’re super entertaining, and the amount of physical strength and endurance required from those players is incredible.”