Last week, the United States Postal Service (USPS) published a revision of its policy on the mailing of hemp-based products, including cannabidiol.
USPS is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government and is responsible for providing postal services in the USA. It delivers 47 percent of the world’s mail and has more than half a million employees.
In recent months, USPS has seen an influx of enquiries regarding using the service to transport cannabis oil and other products derived from cannabis. It has had guidelines in place for several months internally and has now made those public.
The USPS guidelines state hemp and hemp-based products, including those containing cannabidiol (CBD) can be mailed, but a few conditions apply. The first is the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of hemp (or its derivatives) must not exceed 0.3 percent.
Other USPS conditions are the mailer must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and retain records establishing compliance with such laws for a minimum of two years. Evidence of compliance does not need to be presented at the point of mailing, but may be requested in the future if questions or circumstances arise requiring it.
“With this revision, the Postal Service intends to provide mailing standards that sufficiently address the current environment with regard to the domestic commercial transportation of cannabis-based products as well as those changes anticipated from the full implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill,” states USPS.
The 2018 Farm Bill provided a definition for hemp that differentiates it from marijuana and removed hemp from regulation under the Controlled Substances Act. It also clarified that hemp is an agricultural crop and related commerce between states is permitted, as is transportation.
On a related note, it seems Idaho State Police (ISP) is digging its heels in on the final point. As recently as late last month, Boise State Public Radio reported ISP will continue to make arrests and confiscate hemp while enforcing Idaho law, even in light of a USDA memo just a day earlier stating states “may not prohibit the interstate transportation or shipment of hemp lawfully produced under the 2014 Farm Bill.”
