Today’s training regime for most insurance companies is to provide training on the specific job you have and ignores the larger context of how insurance companies operate. Insurance training has gone from maximalist to minimalist and that is a major problem. Now with the lack of training at the carrier level, the agency is left with hiring people off the street and that isn’t good for anyone in the insurance value-chain.

The insurance industry is concerned about the legality of insuring a product (medical cannabis) that is Illegal per federal law and has not been approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Apart from Federal law, banking regulations and risks associated with farming—like fires, flooding, and insect infestation—these are the main challenges for Life and P&C carriers and actuaries. Regardless of the challenges, carriers are preparing for the day when federal laws change and remove the legal barriers and reputational risks of providing insurance coverage for the cannabis industry.

The industry needs to unite as a whole to address this crisis—insurers, providers and pharma. This opioid crisis is possibly the granddaddy of social issues and societal change. What role can insurance companies play in ameliorating this situation?