With marijuana legalization efforts sweeping the country, you might presume that science has won out and people have begun to accept the fact that you can smoke marijuana recreationally without ruining your life. But because federal regulations make it difficult to study the medical effects of marijuana, it’s difficult for anyone to say how long-term recreational marijuana use affects your health. That’s why life insurance companies can be so cautious about marijuana use – both recreational and medicinal.

If you were worried about this, you’re not alone: marijuana is the world’s third most popular recreational drug (after alcohol and tobacco) and America’s most popular illegal drug. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, 44% of adult Americans have tried marijuana.

Life insurance companies consider marijuana use in a number of different ways; while some classify users in the same class as tobacco smokers, others take frequency of use and medicinal purposes into account. Use the table below to find the best life insurance company for your situation.

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Do life insurance companies test for marijuana?

Let’s start with the quick answer: you'll have to take a free medical exam., and the tech will test your urine and sometimes your blood. This will reveal marijuana usage.

In general, life insurance companies are pretty conservative. They have to take a very holistic look at a potential customer’s life and decide if there’s anything that makes an applicant risky to insure. During the underwriting process, you’ll be assigned a health classification based on your health, hobbies, and family history. The worse the rating, the higher the premiums.

Life insurance companies usually require shoppers to undergo a medical exam, which also means a blood and urine test. THC shows up in a blood test for anywhere between three and 14 days after marijuana use, depending on how frequently the user partakes. Marijuana is detectable in urine for up to a month, again depending on frequency of use.

A lot of times, marijuana is lumped in with cigarettes. Federal restrictions on studying marijuana use make it really hard for researchers to judge just how risky marijuana is. Until scientists can show without a doubt that marijuana smoking is healthier than tobacco smoking, expect this policy to stay the same.

Just like tobacco smoking, the less you smoke, the better your health classification will be and the lower your premiums will be. It’s important to remember that companies that offer non-tobacco rates will not extend those rates to people who use tobacco in addition to marijuana; use tobacco, you’ll get tobacco rates.

Life insurance & medicinal marijuana use

Most insurers will consider medical marijuana users upon review of their medical records, but there is a chance they will be rated as a smoker.

But be careful: Medical marijuana is intended to help treat severe symptoms, and if a condition isn’t considered serious by the insurer, you’ll be treated like a recreational user and get a worse rating. But if the condition is considered serious, that might present its own problem (if, for example, you have cancer or severe arthritis). The health issue itself would cause your rates to increase, not the marijuana.

The best life insurance companies for marijuana users