While many states have made medical marijuana (a.k.a. cannabis) legal, it is still illegal under federal law. This tends to complicate many business aspects of shipping and receiving cannabis to dispensaries where it is sold to the public. Even when you live in a state that has legalized every aspect of growing, harvesting, dispensing, and selling marijuana for medical and/or recreational use, there are still laws prohibiting certain aspects of the dispensary business. Before you decide to open a dispensary, here are some things you should know.
You Cannot Ship via U.S. Mail
Trying to get batches of marijuana to your dispensary when you do not grow it "in-house" is a hassle. That is because you cannot ship it via U.S. mail. The U.S. Postal Service is a federally controlled agency, which means that everything shipped is under federal law. Because marijuana is still federally illegal, and because no illegal substance may be shipped through the mail, you cannot ship or receive orders via the postal service. You will either have to drive to the farm or warehouse and pick up your orders personally, or the growers will have to bring shipments to you.
NO Orders or Shipments Across Illegal State Lines
Okay, so say that your dispensary is in California. You want a shipment from Colorado. Guess what? The shipment cannot pass over or through states that do not and have not made marijuana/cannabis legal for any use.Your delivery person would be arrested if he or she were intercepted in this state and had to yield to a search of the truck.
However, this does not include air space. To get your shipment via air, you will have to hire a private helicopter or plane pilot to bring the order to you. This can get rather expensive, but it beats having your entire order seized by the police or government agents because a driver was intercepted.
Shipments Within Your Own State
As long as you receive shipments from growers within your own state, you are safe. You still have to avoid using government agencies to ship, but at least you would not have to concern yourself with having your medical cannabis dispensary delivery intercepted and seized. Lost orders and deliveries is lost income, so it is important to follow the rules and regulations for shipping as much as possible. Any deviance from the governing rules and regulations in your state can result in a shutdown of your dispensary.
For more information, reach out to a company like HEALING LIGHT BODEGA.
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