[author: Rebecca Spence]

Have you ever had a friend or family member ask you to ship them Edibles? Lotion? CBD? Something to help Aunt Sally’s sciatica? Shipping some of these things is not illegal, but it still can feel uneasy taking them to the post office. See below to navigate U.S. federal laws for shipping marijuana, hemp, and CBD. This article was written in February 2020.

Marijuana

Defined: All parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin.¹ It does not include “hemp, the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination.”²

Can you ship/mail?

No.

Even if you are mailing between two states that have legalized marijuana or within the same legalized state, the United States Postal Service is a federal entity, and the federal government has not yet declared marijuana legal. The offense for shipping or mailing marijuana is known as “interstate trafficking” as marijuana is considered to be a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Additionally, some of the states that have legalized marijuana have started passing their own laws prohibiting the mailing or shipping of marijuana. Bottom line: Shipping marijuana is not legal.

Carriers?

None

Close up of an Hemp field in Catalonia

Hemp

Defined: The plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.³

Can you ship/mail?

Yes, hemp is legal so long as the percentage of THC in the product does not exceed 0.3 percent.

Carriers?

USPS, UPS, FedEx

CBD

Defined: CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound from the Cannabis sativa plant. CBD can be derived from both hemp and marijuana.

Can you ship/mail?

Because CBD can derive from either marijuana or hemp, it is important to check the product’s ingredient statement. If the THC percentage is below 0.3 percent, it is ok to ship because it falls under the “hemp” category. Alternatively, if the THC percentage is 0.3 percent or above, the product is illegal to ship.

Carriers?

USPS, UPS⁴

NOTE: The efficacy of CBD has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. FDA’s position is that all CBD products that are intended for human or animal consumption or use are prohibited. Please see our posts on this subject here, here, here, and here.

1. 21 USC 802(16)(A).
2. 21 USC 802(16)(B).
3. 7 USC 1639(o)(1).
4. UPS will not pick up from a marijuana business of any kind.