USPS Weighs In On Mailing Hemp-Derived CBD

Talk in the marijuana community is sparking up once again! See what we did there? On a serious note, USPS issued an advisory on March 4th regarding the legal status of mailing of hemp-derived CBD. You can click the link if you want to check it out and dive into the official mumbo jumbo, but we’re here to give you the gist of it. Basically, the memo reinforces that mailing hemp-derived CBD is in fact legal (in some cases). It also states that the Postal Service will loosen regulations on mailing CBD products in the future. Let’s all join hands and say, “Hey bud, let’s party!”

So Mailing CBD is Legal Now?

Yes…under very strict guidelines. The advisory references the recently passed Farm Bill to reinforce that industrial hemp is not classified as a controlled substance anymore. It also calls on postal employees to be more lenient in regards to the mailing of hemp products.

“Postal employees should be aware that the [Farm Bill] was recently signed into law,” the memo says. “This legislation removes industrial hemp from regulation under the Controlled Substances Act.”

According to the Farm Bill, hemp-derived CBD currently can’t contain more than 0.3% THC in order to be mailable. That being said, USPS recognizes the world is changing…and it plans to capitalize when it can.

Why This Move Makes Sense for USPS in the Long Run

USPS becoming more lenient when it comes to mailing cannabis products makes a lot of sense for the organization in the long run. First of all, more and more states are legalizing marijuana, with New Jersey being the latest to jump on board. It’s only a matter of time before marijuana and cannabis products are legal on a federal level. Once it is federally legal (and therefore able to be mailed from state to state), mailing and shipping cannabis products could potentially bring in hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for the Postal Service.

Simply put, cannabis distribution has the ability to generate tons of money for the Postal Service. As of now, it’s still an untapped network…but this advisory is a big step to making that a reality in the future.