Many medical marijuana users in Canada are paying
high prices due to their prescriptions. The reason is because their life
insurance policies consider them smokers, regardless of how they take
it.
A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled
that patients who are legally prescribed marijuana can take it in any
form, and this includes oils, smoking it and using edible products.
However, life insurance companies can consider medical marijuana users similar to smokers, and it doesn't matter how they consume the drug.
Syed Raza, the director of marketing at LSM Insurance, said it actually
doesn't make sense.
Raza said that when people fill out an application,
they are expected to put down that they smoke. This leads to paying a
higher premium.
Some medical marijuana users were not aware of this, and one user, Ryan
Wolff, said he was prescribed the drug to deal with pain from a nerve
condition.
He does smoke it, as well as ingests it, but he said he was
never warned that marijuana use could lump people in with those who
smoke cigarettes.
He added that it was shocking that you could be
considered a smoker if you're not smoking.
Raza said that as of now, Canadian insurance companies have not changed
their policies, but their may come a day when they are forced to, either
by regulators or by customers.
Asides from medical marijuana users being faced with
higher insurance rates, Canadians that are prescribed it are the ones
who foot the bills for their prescription.
However, that could one day
change, as there has been an introduction of new Health Canada rules
that allow cannabis oils to be sold.
There is one obstacle that
medical marijuana producers will have to clear before insurers
routinely fund the drug. As of now, cannabis doesn't have a DIN, short
for drug identification number.
A spokeswoman for Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc.
said that if cannabis was issued a DIN by Health Canada, then it would
be likely covered by the insurance companies.
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