Guide to Affordable Life Insurance with Marijuana Use

Finding life insurance with marijuana use is not easy. Choosing the wrong company can lead to paying high rates or worst, a potential decline.

Marijuana use is a hot topic for many insurance companies. While 33 states have legalized medicinal or recreational marijuana to some extent, it remains classified as an illicit drug under federal laws.

Due to the legal gray area surrounding marijuana use, life insurance options vary greatly.

You are most likely here today to find out if you or someone you know can get life insurance if you smoke marijuana?

The quick answer is yes, you can.

Life insurance policies are available for marijuana users, but you have additional details to consider before applying. You may want to know:

• Will I pay higher premiums if I use marijuana?
• Do I have to disclose my marijuana use?
• Does life insurance test for marijuana use?

The answer to each of these questions is often yes. However, each application is different. The policies regarding marijuana use will also vary from one insurance company to the next.

If you use marijuana, either recreational or for medicinal purposes, we will help you get the best rates for your coverage.

The following guide to marijuana life insurance will also help provide information as to which life insurance companies are marijuana-friendly, and what to expect when applying for coverage.

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How Does Marijuana Usage Affect Your Life Insurance Application?

Insurance companies need to know about your lifestyle and health to determine your risk factor for early mortality.

An insurance company can make more money when their customers live longer as they receive more premium payments over the life of the policy.

If the insurance company categorizes your lifestyle as high-risk, you receive higher rates. The reason for this is to offset the risk that the company may need to pay out your death benefit early.

Most insurance companies consider marijuana use a high-risk activity while others will classify you at tobacco rates.

During the underwriting process, the underwriters may categorize you as a smoker, giving you the same premium rates as a tobacco user.

Even if the company has its own premium charts for marijuana users, you are still likely to pay more compared to someone who is a healthy non-smoker. However, this doesn’t mean you cannot get affordable rates.

Do You Need to Tell the Truth About Marijuana Use?

Telling the truth on your application is a legal requirement. Providing false information can nullify the policy and result in a possibly non-payout to your beneficiary.

In most cases involving marijuana and life insurance, a drug test will be a requirement for the applying process. The typical urine test for life insurance searches for any drug use, including marijuana, which is found through THC levels in the urine.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Definition of THC:  Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short, is a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis (Marijuana).

There are a few life insurance companies that may offer a no exam application process but expect to considered at smoker rates at best. If you’re looking to get the best coverage, you will want to apply with a company in which the exam is a requirement.

Even if the company does not test for marijuana use, lying about your use on the application can still keep your beneficiaries from receiving your death benefit. This is especially true should death occur before the two year contestability period.

Most life insurance policies include death benefits valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. After your death, your loved ones may file a claim to receive the death benefit. However, before paying, the insurance company needs to verify the details of your death.

If death were to happen within the first two policy years, the insurance company has the right to investigate the death claim. If your autopsy, medical reports, or police incident reports (in the event of accidental death) include any mention of marijuana use, the insurance company may have cause to deny the claim. This means that your loved ones do not receive the death benefit, defeating the purpose of the policy.

The bottom line is that you need to provide honest answers to every question during the application process.

Luckily, using marijuana may not automatically decline you from getting life insurance. A growing number of companies recognize the changing public opinion on marijuana usage.

Several of the top insurance companies offer policies for marijuana users. In many cases, insurance companies use the same underwriting guidelines as they do for tobacco users. Many life insurance companies will even approve you at non-tobacco rates.

How to Get the Best Life Insurance Rates as a Marijuana User

If you want the lowest rates for life insurance as a marijuana user, you have a few options:

• Stop smoking marijuana, “probably not what you want to hear.“
• Reduce your frequency
• Choose the right insurance company

The premiums for life insurance and marijuana smokers will vary depending on the insurance company. Each company has its own underwriting process. This is one of many ways they stay competitive with each other.

When applying for insurance, underwriters review your answers to the questions on the application. If your application requires a medical exam, they will review the results of the life insurance drug test for THC levels.

Underwriters need to know every detail of your health and medical history to determine your mortality risk factors. They also question your lifestyle to determine your insurability.

Here is a closer look at how these details influence your premiums.

Why Do You Use Marijuana?

The reason for using marijuana directly impacts your rates. Insurance companies tend to have a little more leniency when it comes to medical or medicinal marijuana use.

There are still insurance companies that may disqualify applicants that admit to recreational marijuana use. While more companies now accept marijuana users, you should always review this detail before going through the application process.

If you use marijuana medicinally, the insurance company may not adjust your rates based on your usage. They are more concerned about the health condition for which you received a medical marijuana prescription.

For example, if you have cancer, glaucoma, PTSD, HIV/AIDS, or severe arthritis, the insurance company will consider you a high-risk applicant based on why you use marijuana.

If you have a non-serious medical condition such as anxiety or a sleep disorder, your medical marijuana usage may not affect your application at all. You may still qualify for non-smoker rates if you do not use too frequently.

How Frequently Do You Use?

The frequency of marijuana use affects medicinal marijuana users with minor health problems and recreational marijuana users. Your frequency of use may even disqualify you.

Every insurance company has its own policy for marijuana users. However, most companies do not consider light recreational marijuana use as a major risk factor.

If you are a light smoker with no other health issues, you are more likely to qualify for the standard non-tobacco rates. The cutoff for receiving the non-smoker rates depends on the insurance company.

Some companies categorize you as a non-smoker if you only smoke three times per week. Others may consider you at the best non-smoker rates if you smoke no more than three times per month or once per month.

If you exceed the limits for receiving the non-tobacco rates, you may qualify for the standard tobacco rates. The premiums will be much higher than a non-smoker.

Due to the increased premiums, reducing the frequency of your marijuana use could result in major savings.

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Is There a Difference Between Smoking & Edibles?

The method that you use to take marijuana does not have much effect on the guidelines for qualifying for non-tobacco rates. Life insurance companies will view both smoking and ingesting as the same. This is due to them not being able to prove how you take the drug. All that they can see if whether or not you test positive for THC.

For example, if you smoke marijuana three times per week, Prudential Life Insurance categorizes you as a non-smoker. However, you may consume edibles or use THC patches more frequently and still qualify as a non-smoker.

The following are marijuana alternatives are viewed as the same as smoking. As long as it contains THC, the insurance company will not underwrite it differently, and it must be admitted on the life insurance application as “marijuana use.”

• Vaporizers
• Tinctures
• CBD Oils
• Edibles
• Topical creams
• Sprays
• Synthetic THC pills

Update on Marijuana Vape Pens & E-Cigs

Prudential is one of the best companies when it comes to insuring users of tobacco devices other than actual cigarettes. The company provides non-smoker rates for chewing tobacco, pipes, and cigar use. They even classified e-cigs and vape pens as a non-tobacco rating.

However, we have an important update. Due to the increased media attention linking e-cigs and marijuana vape pens to multiple lung disease cases with a few resulting in death, Prudential announced that any admitted use of a vaping device will now be classified at smoker or tobacco rates.

What Else Affects Your Premiums?

As we mentioned earlier, marijuana use is not the only factor that determines the cost of your insurance policy. If you use medicinal marijuana, your health condition may place you in a high-risk category.

Other factors that influence your rates include:

• Age
• Gender
• Weight
• Occupation
• Health history
• Current health
• Lifestyle

Age is one of the most significant factors. After you reach 50 years of age, the average monthly premiums almost double. Young people pay less for life insurance because they are less likely to die early.

If possible, obtain coverage while you are still young. Many insurance plans include guaranteed premiums for the life of the policy, allowing you to lock in a lower rate now.

Gender may also influence the rates. Men tend to have lower life expectancies and engage in higher-risk activities and occupations.

Some insurance companies analyze your height-to-weight ratio. If you are overweight or obese, you may pay higher premiums as you have a greater risk of future health issues.

High-risk occupations also result in higher rates. Commercial fishers, miners, and race car drivers are a few examples of people that tend to pay more for life insurance.

Your previous health history, current health, and lifestyle round out the details reviewed during the underwriting process. You often pay higher rates if you have pre-existing medical problems such as cancer, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis.

To analyze your current health, you may need to complete a medical exam, which can include a drug test.

Marijuana use is just one of the lifestyle factors that the underwriters may question. Drinking, smoking tobacco, and engaging in high-risk activities also result in higher premiums.

If you enjoy skydiving, rock climbing, or scuba diving, you could end up paying more. Not all insurers worry about your recreational activities, but smoking and drinking almost always result in higher rates.

Who Are The Best Marijuana Friendly Life Insurance Companies?

There are life insurance companies that will not allow a marijuana user to qualify for non-smoker rates. These are the companies we want to weed out because they will end up, resulting in higher prices.

We are going to focus on the companies that are going to offer the best rates based on frequency of use.

If you are a recreational or medicinal marijuana user, then this is the information you have been looking. The following life insurance companies are the ones you will want to apply with in order to get the best rates based on your frequency.

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Best Companies Based On Frequent Use With Positive THC

The following life insurance companies offer the best health classification based on the frequent use of marijuana. The companies listed will also allow you to test positive for THC.

Prudential

• Prudential will consider recreational marijuana users at Non-Smoker Plus rates if use is no more than 3x per week. Daily use is not permitted. May test positive for THC in the urine.

Lincoln Financial

• Lincoln Financial will consider recreational marijuana users at Preferred Plus rates if admitted use is no more than 1x per month. They will also consider Preferred Non-Smoker rates if admitted use is no more than 2x per week. Lincoln Financial does not test for THC.

Important Note: Lincoln will not qualify individuals who take part in the occupation or growing of marijuana.

Brighthouse Financial (Formally MetLife)

• Brighthouse financial will allow recreational marijuana use up to 4x per week with admitted use.

Important Note: Brighthouse does not test for THC but their minimum death benefit is $1,000,000.

Mutual of Omaha

• Mutual of Omaha will consider recreational marijuana use at Standard Non-Smoker rates if use is less than 12x per month.

Admitted frequency is matched to the THC results on the urine test.

Protective Life

• Protective Life will consider recreational marijuana use at Standard Non-Smoker rates if use is less than 2x per week. THC is not tested on the urinalysis.

 

Best Companies Based On Moderate Use With Negative THC

The following life insurance companies are pretty lenient on the use of marijuana as long as you test negative for THC. Preferred rates are possible.

Minnesota Life

• Minnesota Life will consider recreational marijuana use up to 24x per month at Preferred Non-Smoker rates with admitted use and negative THC in urine.

North American Company

• North American will consider recreational marijuana use up to 2x per month at Preferred Non-Smoker rates with admitted use and negative THC in urine.

Pacific Life

• Pacific Life will consider recreational marijuana use up to 4x per month at Preferred Non-Smoker rates with admitted use and negative THC in urine.

 

Best Companies Based On Occasional Use With Negative THC

The following companies will offer Preferred rates as long as marijuana use is very occasional with a negative THC reading on the exam.

AIG

• AIG will consider Preferred rates if occasional use is no more 2x per month with negative THC in urine.

John Hancock

• John Hancock will consider Preferred Non-Smoker rates for occasional use of no more than 1x per month, smoked or vaped with negative THC in urine.

 

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Best Companies Based On Daily Use

Finding a life insurance company that allows the use of marijuana on a daily basis is very rare. Most companies will decline with that amount of use considering it high-risk.

However, we have access to two of the only companies in the insurance industry that is will to take on the risk. One of the companies will even offer non-smoker rates.

Global Atlantic

• Global Atlantic will consider non-smoker rates with daily use! As long as you live in a state where marijuana is legal, Global Atlantic will consider you at Standard Non-Smoker rates up to a possible Preferred if use is no more than 3x per week. THC is not tested on the medical exam.

Assurity

• Assurity will allow for daily use but the best health class will be at Standard Smoker rates.

 

Best Companies Based On Medicinal Use

The following life insurance companies offer the best health classifications when it comes to medicinal marijuana use. Keep in mind that the health condition that you are using marijuana will come into play when determining eligibility and final rates.

Allianz

• Will consider medicinal use of marijuana at Standard Non-Smoker rates subject to medical records and doctor notes.

Banner

• Will consider medical marijuana use at Standard up to Table Rating depending on the frequency and notes in medical records.

 

Overall Thoughts on Marijuana and Life Insurance

Smoking or ingesting marijuana does not disqualify you from obtaining life insurance. Many of the top life insurance companies now offer affordable policies for marijuana users.

Keep in mind along with overall health, the frequency of use will be the most significant determining factor in which health classification you will qualify for.

Remember that you need to disclose all details when applying for a life insurance policy.

In the end, if you want the lowest rates, search for an insurance company with favorable underwriting guidelines for marijuana users.

If you use marijuana and are interested in purchasing life insurance coverage, then please let us help you. We hope this article provided you with a general idea of what to expect when applying for life insurance with recreational and medical marijuana use and we look forward to hearing from you.

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