The impact of legalized marijuana on insurance. Legalizing the use and sale of marijuana at the state level has created a myriad of rules and regulations that vary from state to state. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The number of unknowns surrounding the gradual legalization of marijuana across the U.S. far outweighs what insurers currently understand about this enterprise. For an industry that relies heavily on actuarial data to assess risk, this new venture provides little information on which to base coverage decisions or risk management strategies.

Just trying to find growth projections illustrates how much is unknown about the legalized marijuana industry. Grand View Research estimates that the global legal market is expected to reach $146 billion by 2025. The company also predicts that medical marijuana will reach an estimated value of $100 billion by 2025.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Patricia L. Harman

Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Claims magazine, a contributing editor to PropertyCasualty360.com, and chairs the annual America's Claims Event (ACE), which focuses on providing claims professionals with cutting-edge education and networking opportunities. She covers auto, property & casualty, workers' compensation, fraud, risk and cybersecurity, and is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events. Contact her at [email protected]