As of 2019, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has updated its “Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail” policy. This means that USPS will allow for the shipping of federally legalized industrial hemp and CBD products.
Even though hemp-derived CBD is legal this doesn’t mean it isn’t sometimes seized when mailed through the US Postal Service. In most cases, this occurs because packaging breaks or heat from shipping makes the package noticeably smell like marijuana.
Most importantly, customers will want to be sure to read the Shipping and Refund Policy of the CBD company before purchasing!
How to Ship Hemp in the Mail
A business that wishes to ship hemp products must follow these policies:
- Have a license from its state’s Department of Agriculture to produce industrial hemp
- The THC concentration of any product mailed must not exceed 0.3 percent
- Businesses are responsible for complying with all laws and regulations that govern mailability of hemp and CBD
- CBD businesses are not required to present documentation proving state licensure and THC content at the time of mailing
- Documentation may be requested should there be doubt about the item’s mailability or the addressee’s ability to legally receive it
The current advisory specifies that it is legal to send hemp-derived CBD in the mail
through the USPS in compliance with regulations laid out by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Required Shipping Documentation
Prior to recent updates, companies mailing CBD and hemp were required to include documentation in the shipment such as a notice to law enforcement. These notices simply stated that the product was hemp and not marijuana. They are no longer required and the information they contained is mostly covered on Plain Jane product packaging.
The biggest challenge for CBD companies and consumers now is making sure they comply with each of the 50 unique state laws for CBD and hemp products.
Learn more about each state below:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
