Pot, weed, marijuana, cannabis, THC, dope, grass—whatever you want to call it, the attitude in America has shifted regarding marijuana over the last few decades. (Fun fact: every U.S. state has introduced legislation to legalize cannabis.)
When it comes to highly regulated industries like the life insurance industry, though, you might have questions about how smoking pot could affect your life insurance application. Here’s what you need to know about life insurance and marijuana usage.
Questions asked about pot smoking during a life insurance application
When filling out a life insurance application at Ladder, we’ll ask you a series of questions about cannabis use if you use it. These questions may include the last time you used it, as well as the frequency with which you use it. You may also be asked if you are prescribed marijuana for medical use, whether you use cannabis, synthetic marijuana, or cannabinoids as well as if you’ve abused marijuana.
If you are a cannabis user and decide you want to apply for life insurance, you’ll need to be as honest as possible on your application so that the insurer can get the most accurate snapshot of your overall health. Lying or purposefully putting false information on your life insurance application can have negative consequences, such as legal action against fraud, making the policy invalid, or adjusting the policy for higher premiums.
How marijuana or cannabis affects your life insurance application
Unless you have a known history of abusing cannabis, your life insurance application most likely will not be denied based solely on marijuana use. Generally speaking for the average person, it will not affect your life insurance directly as it is just one data point out of many that underwriters, or people who assess risk on behalf of an insurance company, take into consideration. Marijuana use, unless classified as abuse, will likely not have a direct impact on your application when you apply for life insurance through Ladder, but the only way to know is to apply.
How medical marijuana affects your life insurance application
Medical marijuana is treated like any other prescription in terms of a life insurance application. If you have a prescription card for medical marijuana, you’ll want to have it handy, as well as the prescribing doctor’s information.
Even as restrictions around marijuana use have loosened in the United States, you should be honest about any and all marijuana usage so that the underwriters have an accurate picture of your health to properly assess your life insurance application.
231003-3146424
