Medical marijuana users face higher insurance rates, even if they don't smoke it

Smokers can sometimes pay twice as much as non-smokers for life insurance because of the correlation with more health problems.

Many medical marijuana users in Canada pay a high price due to their prescriptions, because life insurance policies consider them smokers — no matter how they consume the drug.

Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled patients with legal prescriptions have the right to take marijuana in any form: including smoking it, using edible products, or using cannabis-infused teas and oils.

However, the country's life insurance industry can consider marijuana users similar to smokers, even if they use vaporizers or edibles.

"To be honest, it really doesn't make sense," said Syed Raza, the director of marketing with Toronto-based LSM Insurance.

"When they complete an application, they're expected to mark down that they are smokers. And as a result, pay a higher premium for their life insurance."

Smokers can...

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URL: 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/medical-marijuana-users-face-higher-insurance-rates-even-if-they-don-t-smoke-it-1.3185077