Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Life insurance for cannabis users in New Zealand

Yes, answer cannabis questions honestly on a fully underwritten life insurance application in New Zealand. Chubb Life publishes that smoking marijuana more than once a week stops you counting as a non-smoker and can add a loading. Quick Life asks no health or drug questions, but excludes deaths caused by the effects of drugs and by illegal acts.

In short

Do you have to disclose cannabis use?

On a fully underwritten application, yes, if you are asked. Underwritten cover rests on your answers, and IFSO says "the law says that there is an obligation on insureds to disclose all material information"; in the case it describes the insurer applied loadings retrospectively and paid a reduced claim, and the complaint was not upheld (IFSO, 10 July 2025). Do not leave cannabis out hoping to avoid a smoker rate. A saving on premium is not worth a reduced or avoided claim.

From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 replaces the duty of disclosure with a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, with remedies proportionate to what the insurer would have done had it known (Act). It does not make it safe to hold things back. Our non-disclosure guide covers the detail.

How cannabis fits the smoker question

Smoker status is a rating category, set by what you smoke or inhale and how often. Chubb Life's underwriting guide lists what stops a person qualifying as a non-smoker: tobacco, vaping and e-cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, gum or cessation medication, pipes, hookah and "Marijuana (> 1 per week)". It adds: "marijuana smoking can incur a premium loading, depending on frequency of use" (Chubb Life Essential Underwriting Guide, May 2025, retrieved 20 October 2026). Chubb and Fidelity both require 12 months without tobacco or nicotine replacement for non-smoker rates.

We found no published cannabis rule from Fidelity, AIA, Asteron, Partners Life or Momentum, so we cannot say they follow Chubb. Nor did we find a published position on occasional use below Chubb's weekly threshold, medicinal use, or edibles. Do not assume an answer; ask an adviser to put the question to each insurer.

What a smoker rating can add

If an insurer does rate you as a smoker, the Premium Index shows the size of the gap. These are indicative monthly costs for $500,000 of life cover from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, as a range across the insurers that priced the row, stepped premiums, occupation class 1, standard rates with no loadings:

Age Non-smoker man Smoker man Non-smoker woman Smoker woman
30 $30 to $40 $50 to $80 $20 to $30 $35 to $45
40 $40 to $50 $90 to $110 $35 to $40 $60 to $80
50 $90 to $120 $200 to $275 $80 to $100 $150 to $190

Your own premium depends on underwriting; see the Premium Index method and life insurance quotes. Across the index, the smoker price runs about 1.5 to 1.7 times the cheapest non-smoker quote in the twenties and thirties and peaks at about 2.2 to 2.4 times in the mid-forties to mid-fifties. Momentum's Quick Life is not in the $500,000 rows, as its cover tops out at $300,000 at the start. For how the categories work, see life insurance for smokers.

Medicinal cannabis

We found no NZ insurer that publishes how it assesses prescribed medicinal cannabis. Insurers generally ask about the condition being treated and the medicines used, so expect questions about the diagnosis, as with any treatment. Chubb's published diabetes guidance, for example, says terms depend on factors such as age at diagnosis, control and complications (Chubb). Whether medicinal use is assessed on the underlying condition is our expectation, not a published rule.

Quick Life: no questions, but two exclusions

Quick Life is Momentum's guaranteed acceptance life cover for ages 18 to 65 and $50,000 to $300,000. There are no health questions or medical exam, so cannabis is not asked about at application. At claim time the wording says Momentum will not pay for a death or terminal illness caused by "the effects of alcohol or drugs", unless a prescribed drug was taken exactly as instructed by a registered New Zealand doctor, or by "taking part in criminal activity or illegal acts" (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025).

Three points follow. These exclusions apply at any time, not only in the first 2 years. The wording does not define "drugs" or say how it treats cannabis, so we cannot say. And in the first 2 years Quick Life also excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide, with premiums refunded if death is from a pre-existing condition and no claim is paid. Read the Quick Life guide and what guaranteed acceptance is. The buttons on this page open Momentum's online quote; the exclusions above apply to what it sells.

Applying through an adviser

  1. Decide what you will say about frequency, method and how long: insurers ask in different ways.
  2. Ask a licensed adviser which insurers publish their approach and request pre-assessments.
  3. Expect questions about wider health, since underwritten applications cover build and, for larger amounts or disclosed conditions, blood tests; see medical exams and blood tests.
  4. If you stop using, ask the insurer how long it needs you to have stopped. Chubb and Fidelity publish 12 months for nicotine; no cannabis period is published. Momentum asks for 24 consecutive months without smoking for non-smoker rates.
  5. Compare with life insurance with no medical exam if you want to avoid health questions, and note the trade-offs.

Frequently asked questions

Does cannabis make me a smoker for life insurance?

At Chubb Life, marijuana smoked more than once a week stops you counting as a non-smoker, and it can add a loading. We found no published rule from the other insurers we read.

What if I stop using cannabis?

Chubb and Fidelity publish 12 months free of tobacco and nicotine replacement for non-smoker rates. No insurer we read publishes a cannabis-free period, so ask.

Does Quick Life pay if cannabis was involved in a death?

Not if the death was caused by the effects of drugs or by illegal acts, as the wording reads. How it applies to a particular death is Momentum's decision.

Is it safe to leave cannabis off the form?

No. Non-disclosure can lead to a reduced payout or a policy being avoided.

About this page

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited has an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026 (financial strength page). This is general information, not advice. Browse the guaranteed acceptance hub for product rules.

References

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