The NYPD took to Facebook today to publicly congratulate officers of the 75th Precinct who, working alongside shipping giant, FedEx, seized 106 pounds of cannabis in the form of legal hemp flowers.
The individual allegedly arrested for this shipment reports that the flowers confiscated were legal hemp flowers. He took to Facebook this evening:
“These officers tossed out all the legal documents that was in each box. They were emailed by the farm that is registered by the Department of Agriculture Food and Market. They have no clue about the new laws and if that was the case then every corner store and deli should be locked up too…”
Shipping giant, FedEx representatives report that the company will soon no longer be offering shipping services on any smokable product. FedEx currently prohibits the shipment of Tobacco, CBD, hemp oil, hemp seed oil and hemp plants, leaves and flowers. Current FedEx regulations list both “Hemp” and “Cannabis” as prohibited items. Some consumers who have had their packages seized by FedEx report being able to retrieve packages after procuring additional documentation.
National delivery service, United Parcel Service (UPS) takes a more liberal viewpoint when it comes to shipping industrial hemp and CBD products. UPS will ship hemp-based products including CBD with the exception of plants. UPS also does not ship shipments of hemp products if they come from vendors who sell marijuana (THC).
The United States Postal Service unveiled a new policy regarding mailing hemp and CBD products in June of 2019.
“Hemp and hemp-based products, including cannabidiol (CBD) with the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of such hemp (or its derivatives) not exceeding a 0.3 percent limit are permitted to be mailed only when:
a. The mailer complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws (such as the Agricultural Act of 2014 and the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) pertaining to hemp production, processing, distribution, and sales; and
b. The mailer retains records establishing compliance with such laws, including laboratory test results, licenses, or compliance reports, for no less than 2 years after the date of mailing.”
The December 2018 Farm Bill made hemp legal in the United States. Purchasing CBD is legal on the Federal level in all 50 states, as long as it does not contain more than 0.3 percent THC. Restrictions on buyers vary amongst individual states. According to Jonathan Miller, the general counsel at the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, “Under the Farm Bill, it also is legal to buy hemp-derived CBD online and ship it.”
As hemp / cannabis legalization continues across the United States, it will be important for consumers and those in the industry to pay attention to how the different parcel delivery services are handling their cannabis.
