In early October, lawmakers in Georgia approved new regulations for the state’s medical marijuana program that would allow for licensed dispensaries to deliver products to patients by mail, either through the U.S. Postal Service or private carriers such as FedEx and UPS. While the new regulations were permissible due to the federal rescheduling of marijuana by the Trump administration, they have not been well received by the USPS and other GOP lawmakers. In a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner, Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Ted Budd, R-N.C. urged the USPS to enforce the agency’s ban on mailing marijuana.
“It is our understanding that marijuana cannot currently be mailed at all using the USPS. However, some states are under a different impression. Georgia’s Access to Medical Cannabis Commission recently took steps to declare that medical marijuana can be shipped using USPS and private carrier services,” the lawmakers wrote. “While Georgia does not have the authority to alter current USPS regulations, we are concerned that USPS will alter its regulations to allow for these shipments. We strongly oppose any effort to allow the shipment of marijuana.”
When medical marijuana was federally reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III, friction between state laws and federal policy increased. Medical marijuana is still illegal in Kansas and Idaho, another area of concern for Sens. Lankford and Budd.
“Finally, while it may seem like marijuana is legal everywhere, Idaho and Kansas have not legalized it in any form. While bad actors find ways to funnel the drug into those states, the USPS should not facilitate the shipment of an illegal and controlled substance into a state that does not allow its use,” they wrote.
However, according to the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC), the agency that approved the new regulations, the goal was to increase access for medical patients, including those in long-term care facilities. In an interview with WABE, a news outlet based in Atlanta, GMCC Executive Director Andrew Turnage explained the reality for many of the state’s medical marijuana patients. “In many cases, a patient cannot drive or even travel, so they cannot get access in a traditional format that many patients are able to gain at dispensaries,” Turnage told the outlet.
Of course, restrictions are in place. Only companies licensed to cultivate and sell medical cannabis in Georgia would be able to deliver it through the U.S. Postal Service or private carriers, and deliveries would be limited to registered medical patients in the state. The new regulations will also establish permits for public and private universities in the state to conduct research on medical cannabis grown in Georgia.
USPS has not released a statement about its official position.
