Georgia Medical Marijuana Delivery Rule Raises Questions Over USPS Cooperation

Georgia Approves Mail Delivery Rule

The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) adopted new regulations on Wednesday that will allow medical marijuana to be delivered directly to patients including via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and private carriers like FedEx, UPS and DHL. The delivery change was part of a broader package of new rules covering issues such as product recalls, tracking, business license applications and research.

State officials have said the reform is being made possible by the Trump administration’s move to reclassify medical cannabis, which effectively federally legalizes it. It is not clear, however, if the carriers are willing to participate in cannabis commerce.

Under the new rule, “Where delivery is performed by the U.S. Postal Service, a common carrier, the Commission, or a common carrier engaged by the Commission, the dispensing licensee shall use certified mail, or a carrier service providing equivalent tracking and proof of delivery, with delivery restricted to, and the signature required of, the patient, caregiver, or healthcare institution employee. No person other than the registered patient, the patient’s caregiver, or the listed healthcare institution employee may sign for or accept such delivery. A dispensing licensee shall record the certified mail receipt, tracking number, or other information evidencing proof of delivery in the Commission-approved tracking system immediately upon completion of delivery.”

USPS Declines to Clarify Position

A USPS official, when contacted by Marijuana Moment, refused to clearly state the agency’s position on participating in medical marijuana deliveries. Nikolaj Hagen, a senior public relations representative for USPS, pointed to general regulations on the mailability of controlled substances.

Those regulations govern how controlled substances may be mailed, and the agency did not indicate whether it intends to handle medical cannabis shipments under Georgia’s new delivery framework.

Questions Remain Over Implementation

The new rules take effect as part of Georgia’s medical cannabis program, which is overseen by the GMCC. The commission has not specified a start date for mail deliveries, and the willingness of USPS and private carriers to participate remains unresolved.

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