USPS Quietly Updates CBD Shipping Policy, Tells No One

Despite a recent federal court ruling ordering the United States Postal Service return a package of Farm Bill-compliant CBD isolate that it had unlawfully seized in transit to its owner, the USPS has quietly adopted new regulations making shipping of hemp products significantly more difficult [see this original court ruling referenced on the USPS website HERE].

A CannaPlanners client was recently stopped at a USPS facility and given a letter, which outlines these updated and slightly ridiculous policy changes.  In the “BMA Advisory: Acceptance Criteria for Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil and Products Containing CBD“, which you can read in full HERE, the USPS acknowledges the legal status of hemp derived CBD and provides temporary “acceptance criteria” for demonstrating when a mailing is compliant with the 2014 Farm Act. According to the USPS, a mailing is compliant when it contains the following documentation:

• • A signed self-certification statement, subject to the False Statements Act. Statements must be printed on the mailer’s own letterhead, and must include the text, “I certify that all information contained in this letter and supporting documents are accurate, truthful, and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information or omits information relating to this certification may be subject to criminal and/or civil penalties, including fines and imprisonment.”

• • The industrial hemp producer possesses a license issued by the Department of Agriculture, for the state where the Post office/ acceptance unit is located, which includes documentation identifying the producer by name and showing the mailer is authorized by the registered producer to market products manufactured by that producer.

• • The industrial hemp, or products produced from industrial hemp, contains a delta-9 THC concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis.”

While we hope all canna-companies are striving for transparency (especially on their cannabis websites) while holding tight to ever-changing and new regulations, these new rules seem preposterous and impossibly enforced by an agency already spread way too thin.

At the time when this blog post was published, there were still no updates to the USPS website referencing any of these new regulations.