12/18/2015 09:50 am ET | Updated Dec 18, 2015

You Can Mail Guns -- And Poop! -- But Not Pot Ads

Baby alligators and day-old ducks can be mailed, but probably not together.

Poop and potatoes are fine to send in the mail. But pot ads? No. They’re banned.

The U.S. Postal Service clarified on Thursday that it’s illegal to mail materials, including newspapers, that feature ads for marijuana products -- even in states where the drug's been legalized, The Associated Press reports.

So pot ads join airbags, ammunition, explosives, gasoline and pornographic materials on the prohibited list.

But fear not -- we can still send these truly bizarre items in the mail:

Day-Old Chickens, Ducks And Emus

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Hatch 'em, then dispatch 'em via USPS. Day-old chickens, ducks, emus, geese, guinea fowl, partridges, pheasants, quail and turkeys can all be put in the post, as long as they're properly and safely packaged.
Poop

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You can send your enemies, or even your pals, animal feces in the post. Shitsenders.com supplies people with cow, elephant and gorilla crap. And it's all anonymous, so they won't know who's behind the dastardly deed. Not illegal, but certainly not cool.
Baby Alligators

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Baby alligators that are up to 7.8 inches long can be mailed. So can b aby caimans, c hameleons, f rogs, l izards, n ewts, s alamanders, t adpoles and toads. But the container must be durable and clearly marked with what's inside.
Nothing

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You can thoughtfully ship your friends a big fat box full of nothing. Prices from shipyourfriendsnothing.com start at $3.99. It's perfectly legal. Or you could just buy them a coffee. Your choice.
Scorpions

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Scorpions can legally be sent in the mail, but only if they're used for medical research or the manufacture of antivenin. Remember to package them up properly.
Dead Wild Animals

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Dead wild animals can be mailed when they are lawfully killed or taken, as long as their shipment is not prohibited by law in the country the animals are being sent to or from, according to the USPS website.
Guns

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Ammunition may be banned, but guns aren't. It's not as simple as stashing a pistol in a bubble-wrapped packet and sending it off, though. To legally mail firearms, there are strict conditions and permits required.
Live Bees

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Honeybees and their queens can be mailed, as long as they're securely packaged, have enough air and are kept within a tolerable temperature range of 40 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snow

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Guarantee your loved ones a white Christmas by shipping them 12 pounds of snow from ShipSnowYo.com. The site also lets you also mail over a DIY snowman kit (complete with a carrot for the nose and lumps of coal.) Weird, but legal.
Radioactive Materials

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Radioactive materials can, to some extent, be shipped by the USPS. But don't package up your hazardous drums just yet, because only materials that have a low level of radioactivity can be sent. And uranium is definitely OFF the list .
Tree Trunks

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Tree trunks can legally be sent in the mail, and you don't even have to wrap them. A tree trunk containing an embedded horse shoe actually won the annual Ripley's Believe It Or Not Strange Mail Contest in 2014. Other items making it to the museum's Orlando, Florida, headquarters included a prosthetic arm, a horse bust and a ukulele.
Eggs

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Surely, sending delicate eggs in the mail is a recipe for disaster. Still, it's not illegal as long as they are individually cushioned and not likely to be affected by temperature changes in transit.
Bricks

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Send your best pal a building block in the post. Mailing bricks actually falls into a legal grey area, according to the USPS website, but that's not stopping MailBricks.com from creating a booming business out of the idea.
Infectious Substances

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Biological substances -- whether they are infectious or non-infectious -- can be mailed if they're intended for medical or veterinary use, research, or laboratory certification related to the public health.
Mouthwash And Cold Remedies

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Sending intoxicating liquors through the mail is illegal. But some products that contain alcohol can be sent, including mouthwash, cold remedies and cooking wine. Don't attempt to mail rare French Burgundy though, since you could be breaking federal law.
Knives

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Switchblade knives are, like guns, mailable under certain strict conditions.
Potatoes

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Last but not least, spuds can indeed be sent in the post. MailASpud.com provides a fine service, and it's even taking off across the pond.

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