Can I mail marijuana via USPS?

USPS2The quick answer is NO. Although many states have a medical marijuana law in place, the United States Postal Service is a federal agency. The federal law controls what can be mailed, and in many cases even legal objects such as alcohol or perfume are prohibited.

Even though it is still illegal to mail pot – it is very appealing. “It’s very easy to do without it being detected just because of the sheer volume of mail,” said Neill Franklin during a recent marijuana bust. Neil Franklin is a former Baltimore police major and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group that advocates legalizing and regulating drugs. He continued by saying, “[it’s] worth taking the chance to do it: It sure beats driving, and you definitely don’t want to get on a plane with it.” There are stiff penalties for using mail services for marijuana transport. Mailing poisonous or hazardous items can  be charged under a federal statute which leads to federal prison time.

fedexYou are not off the hook when mailing by private mailing services such as FedEx or UPS. FedEx has a list of item that cannot be shipped. The company will not ship any items prohibited by federal, state or local laws. Not only will FedEx refuse mailing marijuana, but they can also contact police if they suspect the mail contains an illegal substance.