5 Reasons Why Health Insurance Should Cover Medical Marijuana

5. There is precedence

Finally, believe it or not, there is a precedence. In January 2017, Judge Ingrid L. French ordered a health insurance company to cover the cost of medical cannabis for a man who was injured at work. The case took place in New Jersey, where there is a medical marijuana program in place.

There was another case last year. This time in Canada. University student Jonathan Zaid was prescribed marijuana to treat his debilitating headaches. His headaches had been so severe that he had to drop out of middle school and attend high school at home. He made the switch from traditional drugs to cannabis to save money. It was also the most effective treatment for him.

Currently, Canada does not cover the cost of medical marijuana. Zaid eventually turned to his university’s student union. They were in charge of the student health plan. After eight months of meetings and discussions, the union finally agreed to adjust his insurance plan to cover cannabis.

Final Hit: Health Insurance Should Cover Medical Marijuana

Today, insurance companies do not have any plans to include medical marijuana in their health care plans. Cannabis is still prohibited on a federal level. It’s a Schedule I drug, which basically means that the federal government does not acknowledge its value in medicine. LSD and ecstasy are also Schedule 1 drugs.

In order for any real progress to be made, the FDA needs to approve cannabis. Then, the government can move it from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2. When that happens, health insurance companies might be more willing to cover it.