U.S. Postal Service Warns That Marijuana Ads Can’t Be Mailed

Some marijuana-related businesses are faced with another obstacle as the U.S. Postal Services issues a federal warning telling newspapers that it is a felony to mail material that includes marijuana advertising.

The warning was prepared by the U.S. Postal Service’s Portland District office, and sent to a number of Oregon news organizations, where legal recreational marijuana sales began nearly two months ago and print-related advertising campaigns by dispensaries have significantly increased.

The USPS’s warning states that it is federally illegal to mail an advertisement “in any publication with the purpose of seeking or offering illegally to receive, buy, or distribute a Schedule I controlled substance.”

It is an ongoing challenge for dispensaries to find legal facets for advertising as well as banking in the federally-prohibited marijuana industry. Most dispensaries choose – or are compelled – to advertise online and to be cash-only businesses. Luckily, cash is still king and online advertising has overrun print advertising because it generally reaches a larger and more targeted readership at a lower cost.