Scope of guidance #
These guidelines apply to sites hosted at WordPress.com or on Pressable.
These guidelines apply to store owners who’d like to sell cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived products on a site hosted at WordPress.com or on Pressable.
Note: If you’re only using the free, open source WooCommerce software (the core plugin) on a self-hosted site, you can have Jetpack or ongoing WooCommerce.com subscriptions as long as your products have a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of less than 0.3%.
Some products are prohibited regardless of THC concentration levels.
Products covered #
These guidelines apply to WordPress.com and Pressable-hosted stores selling any CBD and other hemp-derived products, except hemp-derived clothing.
For clothing made from hemp, there is no restriction on which Automattic services you can use. Of course, if you sell other hemp-derived or CBD products in addition to hemp clothing, the restrictions in this policy still likely apply to you.
Required payment providers #
If you’d like to sell CBD and/or hemp products while we host your WooCommerce store at WordPress.com or on Pressable, we require you to use one of our two specified payment gateway solutions:
Selling CBD in the United States #
Square has a program that reviews and approves stores selling CBD and hemp-derived products according to applicable United States (US) laws and regulations. Apply to sell CBD products using Square.
Square’s program is currently only available in the US. If you’re operating a store outside the US, you’re still welcome to use the open source WooCommerce software, but we cannot host your website on WordPress.com or Pressable.
Selling CBD in the EU #
If you are in the EU and would like to host your WooCommerce CBD or hemp products store on WordPress.com or on Pressable, you are required to use Viva.com Smart Checkout as a payment provider. Viva.com has a program that reviews and approves stores selling CBD and hemp-derived products according to applicable laws and regulations. Currently, Viva.com runs this program for shops based in Greece, Portugal, Italy, France, and Poland.
It is not possible to use WooPayments to sell CBD and hemp-derived products.
Find out more at WooCommerce and highly regulated products about selling CBD and other hemp-derived products with a different payment provider (including if your store is outside the US).
Hosting #
You can host your WooCommerce store with any hosting provider that allows CBD sales — including WordPress.com or Pressable — if you are using Square or Viva.com Smart Checkout to process payments, as outlined above.
CBD sites can be hosted on WordPress.com or Pressable if you’re using Square or Viva.com Smart Checkout to process payments, as outlined above. If you are not hosting your store on WordPress.com or Pressable, it’s a good idea to contact hosting companies in advance of building your store to ask about their current CBD sales policy before signing up.
Complying with laws and regulations #
These guidelines are not intended as legal advice. The laws and regulations on CBD and other hemp-derived products are complex and can vary in each state and country. We strongly recommend that you seek legal advice in the state or country you’re selling from, as well as the one(s) you’re selling to before setting up a shop selling CBD and/or hemp-derived products.
As the store owner, it is your responsibility to understand and follow the laws and regulations that apply.
US federal law #
US federal law qualifies cannabis-derived products with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of less than 0.3% as legal hemp. The legal hemp industry is highly regulated.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued several federal regulations for hemp-derived products, including CBD. The FDA regulates food, drugs, and cosmetics, and a failure to abide by these regulations can carry criminal and civil penalties, so they’re important to understand before opening a store. For example, the FDA prohibits CBD in foods, beverages, and supplements, and requires all hemp-derived products to be labeled properly. The FDA also prohibits therapeutic claims about the benefits of CBD on the mind or body as CBD is not an FDA-approved drug.
Local laws within the US #
City and state laws may be more or less strict than federal laws. Be sure that your products are legal to sell in both the location of your store and of your customers.
EU law #
In the EU, the laws governing the allowable amount of THC content in CBD products are set by the individual member states. Store owners operating within the EU are responsible for knowing and following local law: your products should not exceed the THC levels your country deems legal, and you should not sell product types that are disallowed under your country’s laws.
Shipping #
All international shipping services have their own rules about shipping CBD products. Check with your shipping provider before mailing CBD or other hemp-derived products.
Taxes #
As the store owner, it is your responsibility to understand and follow the federal and local laws and regulations that apply to filing taxes and charging taxes for CBD sales.
Termination #
If we determine, in our sole discretion, that your store violates applicable laws or our Terms of Service, we may terminate your access to our store-hosting services or decline to provide support to your store.
FAQs #
Why are there CBD-related restrictions for hosting my store at WordPress.com or on Pressable? #
WordPress.com and Pressable are run by Automattic, a US-based company. While many store owners and customers reside in countries where CBD is fully legalized, we at Automattic are subject to US laws, which place restrictions on our ability to assist with CBD and hemp-derived product sales.
What steps do I need to take to open a WooCommerce store for CBD or other hemp-derived products? #
- Find a hosting company for your WooCommerce website that allows CBD and other hemp-derived products. For example, CBD sites can be hosted at WordPress.com or on Pressable as long as you’re using Square or Viva.com Smart Checkout to process payments.
- Find a payment provider that allows the sale of hemp-derived products. If you are hosting your store at WordPress.com or on Pressable, Square or Viva.com should be able to take care of payment processing for you.
- Check with your bank to confirm whether you can accept deposits from your payment provider for the sale of CBD and hemp-derived products.
- Check with your shipping provider to make sure they are willing to ship CBD or other hemp-derived products. For example, you may need to fill out an additional form at the post office.
I thought the 2018 Farm Bill legalized CBD and hemp-derived products in the US. Why are there still restrictions on them? #
The 2018 Farm Bill took hemp with THC content less than 0.3% off the list of illegal controlled substances, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still imposes strict rules and regulations regarding hemp-derived products. Those rules and regulations can carry civil and criminal penalties.
I live outside the US and CBD is fully legal here. Can I use WordPress.com or Pressable to host my store? #
It depends. For those in certain European countries (Greece, Portugal, Italy, France, and Poland), we can host your CBD store at WordPress.com or Pressable if you use Viva.com Smart Checkout to process payments
Of course, even if you are able to use WordPress.com or Pressable to host your CBD products store, you need to understand and stay abreast of all the rules and laws that apply where you are located and where you sell.
Why am I required to use Square or Viva.com Smart Checkout as my payment provider if I host my CBD store on WordPress.com or Pressable? #
Square and Viva.com both have vetting processes for stores selling CBD and other hemp-derived products, so we currently require that you use one of these two as a payment provider if you’d like to host your site on WordPress.com or Pressable. We may approve additional payment providers in the future.
Do I need to go through the payment processor’s application process to sell CBD or other hemp-derived products? #
Yes. If your payment gateway discovers that you’re selling CBD or other hemp-derived products without approval, their policy is to discontinue services.
What if I’m approved by the payment gateway but later declined? #
We require you to be approved by either Square or Viva.com if you’d like to use WordPress.com or Pressable as your host to sell CBD products.
What if I don’t want to use one of your approved payment gateway partners for CBD sales? #
No problem. You can still use the open-source WooCommerce software to power a store that sells CBD or other hemp-derived products using a different payment processor. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot host your CBD products store at WordPress.com or Pressable unless you are processing payments through either Square or Viva.com.
Will the payment processor approve my site immediately? #
Each company requires time to vet new sites before approving them to sell CBD and other hemp-derived products, due to heavy regulation of the hemp industry.
Will my bank accept payment from Square or Viva.com for CBD and other hemp-derived products? #
Good question. You should speak to your bank directly about this because each bank’s policy could differ. Having a bank account is essential. Once you’re approved by the payment processor, you’ll need a bank account to receive the funds from the payment processor.
Can I use services provided by Automattic, other than WordPress.com or Pressable, to sell CBD? #
For the most part, yes. Automattic services like Jetpack, the WooCommerce Mobile App, WooCommerce Shipping, and WooCommerce Tax can all be used by stores selling CBD and hemp-derived products, even if you are not hosting the store on WordPress.com or Pressable. However, at present, it is not possible to use the WooPayments service to sell CBD and hemp-derived products.
If I print my shipping labels using WooCommerce Shipping, am I automatically approved to ship CBD and other hemp-derived products? #
Not necessarily. You may need to fill out a specific form with the US Post Office (or other shipping providers) when dropping off your package. It is your responsibility to know and follow applicable laws and regulations on shipping CBD products in your area.
Which hosting providers can I use for my CBD store? #
CBD sites can be hosted on WordPress.com or Pressable if you’re using Square or Viva.com Smart Checkout to process payments. We don’t have other specific hosting providers to recommend at this time because each hosting company has its own policies on CBD and hemp-derived products that may be in flux. We recommend asking your hosting provider ahead of time about CBD and hemp-derived product sales before you start to host your store there.
Where can I find more information on Square’s CBD payment processing solution for WooCommerce? #
Learn more about Square’s CBD solution.
Where can I find more information on Viva Wallet’s CBD solution? #
Please reach out to Viva.com directly for more information on their services.
Can I sell Delta-8 or Delta-9 products on my WooCommerce store? #
While you may sell Delta-8 or Delta-9 products on a self-hosted site using the WooCommerce software, stores selling these products will not be able to use direct services offered by Automattic like WordPress.com, the Jetpack plugin, and extensions owned by WooCommerce.com.
Can I sell products with THC content higher than 0.3%? #
No. Any product containing THC levels exceeding 0.3% is prohibited from using direct services offered by Automattic, like WordPress.com, the Jetpack plugin, and extensions owned by WooCommerce.com.
Questions and support #
Something missing from this documentation? Still have questions and need assistance?
- If you have a question about a specific extension or theme you’d like to purchase, contact us to get answers.
- If you already purchased this product and need some assistance, get in touch with a Happiness Engineer via our support page and select this product’s name from the Product dropdown.
