The sports industry’s embrace of cannabis products is continuing to evolve as U.S.A. Triathlon has become the first national governing body of an American sport to make a sponsorship deal with a company that sells products containing cannabidiol, or CBD.

CBD is a nonintoxicating compound that, like the intoxicating compound THC, is found in varying amounts in hemp, a legal cannabis plant. In 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from its list of banned substances. THC and scores of other cannabinoids remain on the banned list, but by removing CBD, WADA opened the door for elite athletes to use and endorse CBD products.

CBD’s benefits are said to include preventing pain and inflammation, relieving stress and anxiety and even aiding digestion. CBD products are available in several forms, including oils and lotions .

The financial terms of the four-year deal between U.S.A. Triathlon and Pure Spectrum, which is based in Colorado, were not disclosed. It came less than a year after Congress passed the Farm Bill , which legalized hemp . Growing the plant had been against federal law for many years. Since then, sports organizations have tiptoed toward CBD and its growing business. Much of the population knows little about CBD . There are some who still associate it with the more illicit uses of marijuana, which remains illegal at the federal level and in many states, even though it has been decriminalized in some.