Get dispensary texts delivered: why they get blocked and how to fix it

Carriers decide which business texts get through

CTIA’s principles let providers block or filter traffic they consider unwanted, and each carrier adds its own rules on top.

Enforcement can reach past a single text. T-Mobile lists cutting a 10DLC sender’s daily message quota among its steps, so repeated problems can cap how many texts that number sends each day.

Every number type needs approval before it sends

Start here, because rewriting a text cannot help a number that is not approved for the traffic it carries.

• 10DLC: the campaign must be registered and approved before its messages go out.
• Toll-free: the number must be verified. Since January 31, 2024, texts from unverified or pending toll-free numbers are blocked.
• Short code: needs carrier approval before launch. The U.S. Short Code Registry says provisioning can take two to four weeks.

To choose between them, see short code vs toll-free vs 10DLC. For the registration form itself, read our 10DLC registration guide for dispensaries.

A state licence does not change how a text is judged

T-Mobile’s code of conduct requires message content to be legal in all 50 states, and it lists cannabis as disallowed content.

Your licence makes the store legal where it sells. It does not change how a carrier reads the text. A message that reads like a cannabis ad is at risk in every state. The same news written as a store update from a named business is less likely to read as cannabis promotion.

Product words, prices and health claims put a text at risk

The list below is our guidance, drawn from that T-Mobile rule.

• Product words and slang: product names, strain names and effects.
• Prices and deals: percentages, dollar amounts and discount language. Put the offer on an age-gated page instead.
• Health claims: anything that suggests a medical benefit.

Run a draft through the banned word checker, and see the full list of words to avoid in cannabis texts.

A dedicated short link is what carriers ask for

CTIA’s principles say a link shortener should be dedicated to the sender. T-Mobile says public URL shorteners are highly discouraged in bulk messaging and may be blocked.

So swap bit.ly and other public shorteners for a branded short link that points to your own age-gated page.

Texting only people who opted in keeps complaints low

CTIA expects a confirmation text before any other message, a working STOP, and records of every opt-in. Texting an old or bought list invites the complaints that get numbers filtered.

Timing counts too. T-Mobile asks for reconfirmation when no first message is sent within 30 days of consent. Our opt-in and consent guide covers what to record at sign-up.

Fix blocked texts in this order

1. 1

   Confirm registration

   Check that your 10DLC campaign is approved, or your toll-free number verified, for the texts you send.

2. 2

   Rewrite as store updates

   Store name first. No product words, prices or deals in the text itself.

3. 3

   Use a branded short link

   Point it to an age-gated page, where the offer and product details live.

4. 4

   End every text with STOP

   Add “Reply STOP to opt out” to every message.

5. 5

   Clean your list

   Text only people with a recorded opt-in, and re-permission the rest before you send.

6. 6

   Test before the full send

   Run each new text through the checker, then send it to a small segment before the whole list.

A store update carries the same news with less risk

Here is step 2 applied to one Friday text for Kendall's, our sample store.

For the rest of the texting rules, see the Sticky SMS guides for dispensaries and our cannabis SMS compliance tips.