Postal Service nixes newspaper ads for legal weed

In response to a question from Oregon's congressional representatives, the United States Postal Service ruled that it will not deliver newspapers — or indeed any mail — which advertise marijuana.

The decision applies even to states like Oregon, where recreational pot use is now legal, because marijuana is still banned as a Schedule I drug (the most dangerous category) at the federal level, and the USPS is a federal agency.

Oregon's senators and representatives aren't happy with the announcement. "We are working as a delegation to quickly find the best option to address this agency’s intransigence," Sen. Ron Wyden (D) wrote in a statement Thursday with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D) and Earl Blumenauer (D). "Unfortunately, the outdated federal approach to marijuana as described in the response from the Postal Service undermines and threatens news publications that choose to accept advertising from legal marijuana businesses in Oregon and other states where voters also have freely decided to legalize marijuana."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up