SMS compliance
SHAFT compliance: why regulated SMS gets blocked
If your texts 'send' but customers never seem to get them, you are probably running into SHAFT and carrier content rules - not a bug in your CRM. Here is what regulated operators need to understand.
This is practical operator guidance based on how US carriers and aggregators apply messaging rules. It is not legal advice - confirm specifics with your messaging platform and your own counsel.
What SHAFT actually means
SHAFT is the messaging industry's shorthand for five content categories that US wireless carriers restrict in application-to-person (A2P) texting - the automated texts businesses send from software rather than a personal phone.
- Sex - sexual or adult-services content.
- Hate - hateful, harassing, or discriminatory content.
- Alcohol - beer, wine, and spirits promotion.
- Firearms - guns, ammunition, and certain accessories.
- Tobacco - cigarettes and cigars, and almost always vape and e-cigarettes.
Important
Cannabis is effectively prohibited. Even where it is state-legal, THC, CBD, and hemp-derived products are broadly disallowed for A2P SMS in the US because messaging carriers enforce a federal standard. This is the single biggest surprise for dispensary operators.
Why your messages get blocked without an error
Filtering happens at the carrier and aggregator layer, and it is often silent. Your platform may report the message as 'sent' - or even 'delivered' to the aggregator - while the carrier quietly drops it before it reaches the handset. There is no bounce and no obvious failure.
- Prohibited content category, like cannabis, regardless of state legality.
- Unregistered or poorly-rated sender under A2P 10DLC.
- Public link shorteners (such as bit.ly), which are frequently blocked.
- High opt-out or spam-complaint rates that damage sender reputation.
- Missing age-gating or weak consent on opt-in.
The result is quiet revenue loss. Campaigns look like they ran, the dashboard shows healthy numbers, but a meaningful share of messages never landed.
How regulated brands keep SMS deliverable
- Register properly under A2P 10DLC (brand and campaign) so you are not treated as unregistered traffic.
- Use a dedicated, branded link domain instead of public URL shorteners.
- Keep airtight consent and an easy opt-out (STOP) to protect your complaint rate.
- Age-gate at opt-in for alcohol, tobacco and vape, and firearms.
- Keep content disciplined and avoid explicit prohibited-product sales language where the category is restricted.
- Lean on channels that carriers do not filter - email, app push, on-site, and loyalty - for your most restricted content.
Note
For cannabis, do not fight the carriers. Most successful operators build retention around email, app push, loyalty, and on-platform messaging instead of cannabis SMS - which is exactly what platforms like Alpine IQ and Springbig are designed around.
What you can realistically send, by category
- Alcohol - generally permitted with age verification and clear consent.
- Tobacco and vape - heavily restricted; treat as mostly off-limits for SMS promotion.
- Firearms - restricted by many aggregators; expect filtering and verify your provider's stance.
- Cannabis and CBD - assume SMS promotion is not viable; route to compliant channels.
- Sex and hate - prohibited outright.
Where CapraCX fits
CapraCX helps regulated operators design retention that respects these constraints instead of fighting them: clean consent, the right channel mix, and platform configuration across Alpine IQ, Springbig, and Klaviyo that keeps messages landing and revenue compounding.
Key takeaways
FAQ
Common questions
Is SHAFT a law?
No. SHAFT is industry shorthand for content categories that wireless carriers restrict under CTIA messaging guidelines and aggregator policies. Laws like the TCPA govern consent separately; SHAFT governs what content carriers will carry.
Can a dispensary legally text customers?
Operators can collect consent and message customers, but US carriers broadly block cannabis A2P SMS regardless of state legality, so promotional cannabis texting usually does not reliably deliver. Compliant retention typically runs through email, push, loyalty, and on-platform channels.
Why do my texts say 'delivered' but customers don't get them?
Delivery receipts often reflect handoff to the aggregator, not arrival on the handset. Carrier-level filtering can drop messages after that point with no error returned to you.
Does A2P 10DLC registration fix SHAFT blocking?
Registration is necessary for deliverability and trust, but it does not override prohibited-content rules. A registered sender still cannot reliably push restricted categories like cannabis over SMS.
The other half of CapraCX
Regulated CRM support inside your existing stack
CapraCX also helps operators get more from Alpine IQ, Springbig, Klaviyo, and similar tools through recurring support, clearer retention execution, and stronger website-to-CRM handoffs.
Next step
If your regulated SMS isn't landing, the fix is strategy - not just a new tool.
CapraCX helps regulated operators build compliant, deliverable retention across SMS, email, and loyalty inside the platforms they already use.
A2P 10DLC registration
Why business texting has to be registered, and how trust scores affect deliverability.
Dispensary CRM & retention
How CapraCX helps dispensaries run compliant retention inside their existing stack.
Alpine IQ consulting
Getting more from a platform built for compliant cannabis messaging and loyalty.