UPS Tightens Hemp Shipping Rules on December 11. My Advice Hasn’t Changed.

 

UPS has updated its hemp shipping policy to require additional documentation beginning December 11, 2026, when major changes to the federal definition of hemp are scheduled to take effect.

For businesses shipping hemp flower and other raw hemp material, the new requirements are significant. But my advice about using UPS to ship hemp remains the same: Don’t do it.

What Is Changing?

Beginning December 11, UPS will require shipments of raw hemp to contain a Certificate of Analysis (COA) or laboratory test results demonstrating that the material contains no more than 0.3% total THC, including THCA, on a dry-weight basis.

This change tracks the new definition of “hemp” that is scheduled to go into effect on December 11. 

UPS also maintains its existing requirements that raw hemp shippers obtain advance approval, establish a dedicated shipping account, and enter into an agreement with UPS. Shipments must use Adult Signature Required service, and the outside packaging cannot identify the contents as raw hemp.

Importantly, the new documentation requirement specifically addresses raw hemp. UPS has separate rules for finished hemp derivatives. It will also continue to prohibit hemp-derived vape products intended for aerosolized consumption and synthetic or laboratory-made cannabinoids.

Why I Still Recommend Not Using UPS

In May 2025, I published an article titled Why Are Hemp Companies Still Using UPS?. It expressed my frustration with repeatedly advising clients not to ship hemp flower through UPS and other mainstream private carriers, only to receive calls when those shipments were seized by law enforcement. Nothing has changed my opinion.

My concern is not that UPS is a bad company. Rather, it is that private carriers operate under different rules and legal protections than the United States Postal Service (USPS).

UPS can inspect and reject shipments under its contractual policies. When a shipment containing cannabis is referred to local law enforcement, a perfectly lawful hemp shipment can become the subject of a criminal investigation. I’ve dealt with enough of these cases to know how difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible it can be to retrieve seized hemp. It’s not unusual for my office to receive several calls per week about hemp shipments that UPS has wrongfully assumed was marijuana and sent to law enforcement. 

A COA may demonstrate compliance with federal law, but it does not necessarily prevent a shipment from being detained or seized. Nor does it guarantee that a local law enforcement officer will understand the legal distinction between hemp and marijuana. Often, they don’t. 

For lawful hemp shipments, I continue to recommend USPS. Its published hemp mailing requirements provide a clearer framework grounded in federal law. USPS is not perfect, and shipments must still comply with applicable laws and postal regulations, but it remains my preferred option.

The Bottom Line

Hemp companies should review the December 11 changes immediately, update their testing and documentation procedures, and confirm that their products will remain lawful under the revised federal definition of hemp.

As for UPS, my advice remains what it has been for years. If you’re shipping hemp flower, use USPS rather than UPS or another mainstream private carrier.

October 23, 2026