Utah-based startup reepher has applied to sell insurance in Oregon which would cover the cost of defending a cannabis DUI, Axios reports. The cheapest reepher product offered costs $15 monthly and offers $15,000 in potential coverage, including up to $8,000 in attorney fees and $1,500 to recover a towed vehicle.
The company launched in late 2021 and currently operates in Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, according to the reepher website.
CEO Justin Kahn told Axios that, to date, the company has signed up less than 1,000 customers but has raised $1.2 million in investments.
“There needs to be a new type of coverage that protects people from the financial consequences of their own behaviors, which are not illegal. But if you end up on the wrong side of the risk it can be a costly endeavor.” — Kahn to Axios
Tom Baker, an insurance law expert at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, told Axios that while it’s “unusual” to offer insurance “for conduct that would be regarded as criminal,” reepher’s products seem similar to “peace of mind insurance” that’s offered for identity theft or for trip cancellation.
According to Oregon crime statistics, over the past two and a half years, law enforcement in the state made 210 cannabis-related driving under the influence citations and 64 disorderly conduct citations.
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