Weed and pickleball? Trulieve partners with pro, amateur tours in Florida, around US (2024)

Do weed and pickleball mix?

Financially, yes.

Trulieve, by far the largest medical marijuana dispensary chain in Florida, announced this week that they are partnering with the fastest-growing sport in the country.

"Pickleball is experiencing explosive growth across the country, and we are thrilled to partner with both the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball to support the pickleball revolution," said Trulieve's Chief Executive Officer Kim Rivers in a release. "As the exclusive cannabis sponsor of these select events, we look forward to connecting with athletes, educating spectators on the benefits of cannabis, and supporting the top players of the fastest-growing sport in America."

As of Aug. 24, Quincy, Florida-based Trulieve has 144 medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use. That's twice as many as the next company, MÜV, with 77. In June, Trulieve celebrated the opening ofits 200th store in Brooksville, Florida.

Which pickleball tours are Trulieve sponsoring?

Trulieve is partnering with the Carvana PPA Tour from the Professional Pickleball Association, the largest professional and amateur pickleball tour in the world, and MLP by Margaritaville from Major League Pickleball, the leading team-based, coed pickleball league.

Which events will be in Florida?

• The 2024 Carvana PPA Tour ends in Florida, with the Oh Snap Daytona Beach Open at Pictona in Holly Hill taking place Dec. 18-22.
• The 2024 MLP by Margaritaville tour will be in Miami Oct. 24-27, with round two of the playoffs coming to Orlando Nov. 22-24.

Is weed legal in Florida?

Before you light up and grab your paddle, be aware that recreational marijuana is still — so far — illegal in Florida.

Medical marijuana has been legal in the Sunshine State since voters overwhelmingly approved it in 2016, but it's limited to people with certain medical conditions who have received a Medical Marijuana card that allows them to purchase it at licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

Voters will have the chance to make recreational marijuana legal in the November election by voting on Amendment 3, a ballot initiative that would authorize its use for people 21 and older while also allowing individuals to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana, although federal laws would still apply.The amendment requires at least 60% of voters to approve it.

Trulieve pushing for Amendment 3, recreational marijuana in Florida

Trulieve has been the major backer for Amendment 3. The marijuana retailer kicked inall but $124 of the $15 million initially raisedin 2023 to back Smart & Safe Florida, the group responsible for the ballot initiative led by country rock star turned grower David Bellamy.

Since then the company has contributed at least $40 million more to the Smart & Safe Florida PAC, according to a stateDivision of Elections database, and launched a line of "Yo3" products to promote the amendment.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball contains elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played one-on-one or in doubles. Players use non-stringed paddles that are somewhere in size between a ping-pong paddle and a tennis racket to hit a plastic ball, which is larger than a tennis ball and has holes in it like a wiffle ball.

The court is much smaller than a tennis court (you can fit a pickleball court on each side of a tennis court, in fact) with a lower net. Seven feet from the net, on both sides, is an area called the "kitchen" where players are not permitted to volley the ball. Scoring is closer to racquetball than tennis: only the serving team can score, and the game goes to 11.

Gameplay is similar to tennis, although, unlike tennis, on the serve the ball must bounce once on each side of the net before it is returned, after that one bounce on both sides players may volley without a bounce or with one bounce per side. The result is a fast-paced, low-impact sport that can be played indoors or out.

How to play pickleball: Here are the rules and things to know before hitting the court

Pickleball taking over Florida

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in Floridaand the rest of the country for several years now, for obvious reasons. It's a low-impact, easy-to-learn but exciting game that doesn't require a lot of running or athleticism.

Pickleball has traditionally appealed to seniors, but as of this year the largest age group of pickleball players is between 18-34 with the fastest player growth among players under 24. That's 28.8% of all players, according to pickleheads.com. In 2023, there were an estimated 48.3 million pickleball players in the U.S.,the Association of Pickleball Professionalssaid, with 13,969 pickleball courts around the country.

Pickleball also can be played year-round here, which certainly helps. Local communities haveinvested millionsin new courts and facilities and indoor courts are becoming increasingly popular.

The inaugural U.S. Open Pickleball Championships wereheld in Naples, Florida, in 2016, which also marked the first nationally televised broadcast of pickleball — a one-hour prime-time special — on CBS Sports Network. It attracted 860 players and 10,300 spectators.

Florida has more pickleball courts than any other state in the U.S.

Of the 13,969 pickleball courts in the U.S. as of March 2024, Florida has the most, with 1.071 known locations, according to pickleheads.com, pulling ahead of California's 1,048. Texas is third but way behind both states, with 755.