| DATE: | 06/05/2025 |
| TO: | All SNAP Retailers |
| FROM: | James C. Miller Administrator Food and Nutrition Service |
| SUBJECT: | Cannabis-Derived Products are NOT Eligible for SNAP Purchase |
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) are committed to fighting waste, fraud, and abuse. This includes taking swift action to eliminate fraud occurring in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailer community and rooting out fraudsters who take advantage of the taxpayer’s generosity.
Your participation as a SNAP authorized retailer serves an important purpose. Retailers connect American families to nutritious food each day. More than 41 million low-income people redeem their SNAP benefits at stores nationwide each month. SNAP is funded by American taxpayers and must be operated with integrity and accountability. All participating retailers must follow the SNAP rules to protect taxpayer dollars.
This letter serves as a reminder that it is a program violation to accept SNAP benefits for foods and drinks containing controlled substances such as cannabis/marijuana.
USDA FNS is actively fighting fraud and preserving taxpayer dollars. Retailers who commit program violations will face consequences which include disqualification from the ability to accept SNAP benefits, monetary penalties, fines and/or criminal prosecution.
As a participating SNAP retailer, you should regularly review SNAP program rules and take steps to train and retrain your employees. SNAP training information is available on the Retailer Training Materials page.
If you know or suspect that someone is violating SNAP rules, contact the USDA Office of Inspector General at (800) 424-9121. Your identity will be protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and the Inspector General Act of 1978.
Thank you for your attention to these important reminders.