With the Hemp Farming Act or Farm Bill of 2018, it is legal to ship CBD oil (Cannabidiol) to most of the US locations and certain International locations. So let’s take a look at how to ship CBD oil and where can you legally ship CBD oil to help online merchants and shoppers.
Is it Legal to ship CBD oil Through Mail?
Yes. It is legal to ship CBD oil through the mail. Remember to ship the CBD oil it must contain less than 0.3% THC and must be derived from hemp. It is legal in almost 50 states. It is essential to ensure that eCommerce businesses involved in farming and shipping of CBD follow all the legal formalities.
Can USPS Send CBD oil in the Mail?
Yes. USPS can send CBD oil in the mail but again should follow certain rules and regulations. As per the USPS guidelines issued for shipping hemp-derived CBD products through the mail should provide the following documentations:
- A signed self-certification statement, subject to the False Statements Act. Statements must be printed on the mailer’s your letterhead, must be signed by the mailer, and must include the text “I certify that all information furnished 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 or 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.
The shipping advisory also states that CBD oil should be mailed with a self-signed certification statement and documents showing the authorization to ship these items legally. It should also contain the laboratory report regarding the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) concentration of the CBD oil too.
Following the above-stated guidelines, you can easily ship CBD oil using USPS without any legal complications. You can read more about the same under USPS guidelines for shipping hemp-based products.
Can UPS ship CBD oil?
Yes. Not only UPS, but even FedEx and DHL also lets you ship CBD oil completely legally. Like USPS, it is also compulsory to adhere to the guidelines and the Federal laws before shipping the CBD oil anywhere. It must also ensure that the percentage of THC is less than 3%.
How to Ship CBD oil?
While shipping CBD oil, you need to follow certain guidelines:
- Firstly ensure that you follow all the rules and regulations specified under the law.
- Make sure you follow USPS shipping guidelines to ship CBD oil and also affix the necessary documents for shipping CBD oil.
- Choose the right boxes with accurate dimensions and place the CBD oil safely inside the box with appropriate protection using bubble wraps, airbags etc. Also, ensure you secure the box with a tape outside.
- You can also schedule a pickup from the courier service of your choice.
Shipping CBD oil overseas
While it is legal to ship CBD oil across locations in the US, there are numerous complications in terms of shipping it internationally. It completely depends on the regulations in each country.
As of 2019, the CBD oil is legal in the following countries. Again it must be extracted from the industrial hemp and has less than 0.2% THC.
- Canada
- Mexico
- United Kingdom
- Switzerland
- France
- Luxembourg
- South Korea
- Denmark
- Argentina
- Austria
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Antilles
- Norway
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Republic of Slovenia
- South Africa
- Sweden
- Virgin Islands
- Uruguay
- New Zealand
CBD is banned in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Russia. In the case of Australia, the changing laws make the shipping rules fluctuate accordingly. Though in 2016, cannabis has been legalized for medical shipping, it is reclassified from prohibited drug to the one which can be shipped legally with prescription only. Hence the CBD oil is available to a very limited group of people only with the prescription without any exception.
It is always important to ensure that you read through all the rules and regulations when it comes to shipping CBD oil internationally to avoid any unwelcome surprises.
How to Incorporate the Prohibited items Shipping following the Shipping Guidelines for Shipping Carriers on your WooCommerce store?
WooCommere lets you enable certain options in the store, to ensure that your packaging and shipping options are organized and adhering to the laws of shipping prohibited items under certain circumstances. To do the same, you can mark the product as prohibited under the product description in the store beforehand. You can easily list the restricted and prohibited items and classify them into certain categories, which are listed in the WooCommerce product settings as shown below:
Once the item is classified, you can also easily opt for packing the item individually to ensure that packaging is done right for shipping. You can make use of the ELEX EasyPost (FedEx, UPS, Canada Post & USPS) Shipping & Label Printing Plugin for WooCommerce plugin for the same. Know more about the USPS Shipping Restrictions and Prohibited Items here.
Like for example if you are using DHL shipping service on your store, you can make use of the ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket Shipping Plugin with Print Label plugin on your WooCommerce store for easily providing shipping options on your store. Once you have the plugin installed in the specific product settings you can include the HS Tariff number in the individual product shipping settings. For example, in the case of India, the HS Tariff number is 38220090 for shipping CBD oil as shown in the image below:
You can also mention the country of manufacture, signature verification etc., to ensure the packages are delivered rightly.
Shipping CBD Oil Anywhere: Know the Laws and Shipping Solutions
After careful consideration regarding the shipping of CBD oil anywhere in the US as well as other international locations, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the laws and regulations that are followed in those locations before sending the same. Also, ensure that packaging is done perfectly following the shipping guidelines by the shipping carriers while shipping. So to ensure there are no significant obstacles, you need to be clear and precise in terms of shipping.
Further Reading:
- All about USPS Shipping Restrictions and Prohibited Items
- How to identify dangerous and prohibited goods while shipping through Australia Post on your WooCommerce Store
- How to identify Prohibited and Counterfeit goods to avoid shipping hassles with DHL
- What are Delivery Exceptions and How Should You Deal with Them?
- How to Mail Prescription Drugs?
