Regulated adult use of marijuana may be legal on island, but if you plan on importing CBD products into the island, you need to ensure they are up to par with regulations as your shipment or parcel could end up confiscated.
The Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency is the first line of defense at our borders and while cannabis use on Guam is legal, the agency must still do its duty to stop it from entering the island at our borders.
Ike Peredo, the director of the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, explained to K57 listeners what will and will not get through Customs.
“Yes, I can confirm that we have made several seizures of CBD products. When we started seeing these particular items, we were relating them to the FARM bill,” Peredo said.
The FARM bill, enacted in 2014, introduced a new category of cannabis called “industrial hemp” and authorized states to implement programs for the cultivation of industrial hemp.
“The bill says that all the products coming in must meet the threshold of 0.3 percent as it relates to THC. That was the concern because when they are coming in we were conducting field tests and these products were turning positive and that’s why we are seizing them and trying to get the appropriate agency responsible for this law,” Peredo said.
He says Customs has been working with the Department of Public Health and Social Services in order to do lab tests of the seized items.
“Our concern is how do we test these particular products to comply with the regulation? The only way to do that is if you send it to a lab and confirm yes its 0.3 percent so we are working with Public Health on how to address this particular matter,” Peredo said.
While the products seized tested positive for THC, the lack of a cannabis laboratory on Guam means that the percentage of THC remains unknown.
Peredo has this warning for businesses and individuals planning on bringing CBD products into the island: “The only thing that I can say is that if a shipment is coming in, they should have some sort of certification from a lab that this particular shipment meets the requirement.”
Meanwhile, the United States Post office has also clarified their mailing requirements in response to an influx of questions pertaining to CBD transport through the postal service.
According to a release from the United States Postal Service, any mailer who presents CBD oil or other products derived from industrial hemp must provide a signed self-certification, proof that the industrial hemp producer possesses a license issued by the USDA and that the products have a THC level of not more than 0.3 percent.
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