VISIT STATE HEALTH COMPARE
Blog & News
Understanding cannabis use and perceptions among Minnesota high school students
August 12, 2024:Most 9th and 11th graders report never having tried cannabis, but rates of recent use vary by demographic groups
In 2023, Minnesota became one of a growing number of states that have legalized cannabis for non-medical use by adults. When lawmakers crafted Minnesota’s legislation, they established a minimum age of 21 to use and purchase cannabis, similar to policies in other states that have legalized, and consistent with alcohol and tobacco policies.
The decision to limit legal access to cannabis to adults age 21 and older reflects common concerns about the potential for cannabis use to harm youth. While research on the public health implications of cannabis use is limited, studies have found associations between adolescent use of cannabis and a variety of negative outcomes, including lower educational attainment and worse school performance, as well as mental health and substance use disorders.1,2,3,4
Other states that legalized cannabis earlier and have had time to examine impacts of that legislation have generally not found clear increases in underage use since policies changed and legal sales began.5,6 Nevertheless, it will be important to monitor this issue in Minnesota, as experiences with alcohol and tobacco demonstrate that policies and enforcement matter when limiting substance use by youth.
Though commercial sales of legal cannabis in Minnesota aren’t expected to begin until 2025, researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s Cannabis Research Center and SHADAC sought to get a head-start in understanding potential effects on youth. To do this, researchers began by studying youth experiences with and perceptions of cannabis and other substances prior to legalization. Our aim is to provide researchers, policymakers, and community members with key baseline evidence that can illuminate the current cannabis landscape, so it may be compared to post-legalization data in the coming years.
Cannabis and Other Substance Use Has Been Declining Among Youth in Minnesota
Using data from the Minnesota Department of Education’s Minnesota Student Survey, we produced estimates of the experiences and perceptions of Minnesota 9th and 11th graders (i.e., high school students) pertaining to cannabis, alcohol and tobacco, as well as some measures on nicotine-vaping products — a newer phenomenon for which less data is available.
Among the most important findings include:
- Almost 9 in 10 (86%) Minnesota high school students said in 2022 that they had never used cannabis, and the rate of students saying they had never used cannabis has been increasing over time.
- Less than 1 in 10 (8%) Minnesota high school students reported having used cannabis in the past month, but that percentage varied across demographic groups. For instance, only 3% of Asian students reported using cannabis in the past month, but 17% of American Indian and Alaska Native students reported they had used cannabis in the past month.
- Minnesota high school students appear to overestimate the prevalence of cannabis use by their peers. While half (50%) said they believed most of their peers use cannabis monthly, only 7% reported that they themselves use cannabis monthly — a similar pattern of apparent overestimation of substance use by peers as for alcohol and tobacco use.
More Research on Youth Use Necessary Once Legal Cannabis Sales Begin
The findings of our study are somewhat reassuring: despite the stereotype of teenagers experimenting with substances, most Minnesota high school students report they aren’t using cannabis — or alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine-vaping products.
However, even with 8% of Minnesota high school students reporting cannabis use, that represents tens of thousands of youth in the state. That is concerning, based on research that suggests various risks related to underage cannabis use.
Research from other states suggesting that legalization doesn’t necessarily lead to an unavoidable increase in underage cannabis use is reassuring, but we shouldn’t take that for granted. As cannabis policy continues to develop in Minnesota, and once legal sales of cannabis begin, it will be crucial to study youth cannabis use and to use those findings to fine-tune the state’s approach to minimize public health risks for youth.
Click here to read the full brief on this subject.
[1] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24625.
[2] Volkow, ND, Swanson, JM, Evins, AE, et al. (2016). Effects of Cannabis Use on Human Behavior, Including Cognition, Motivation, and Psychosis: A Review. JAMA Psychiatry. 73(3), 292-297. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3278
[3] Winters, KC, Lee, CY. (2008). Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 92(1-3), 239-247. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.drugalcdep.2007.08.005
[4] Tervo-Clemmens, B, Gilman, J, Evins, E. (2024). Substance Use, Suicidal Thoughts, and Psychiatric Comorbidities Among High School Students. JAMA Pediatrics. 178(3), 310-313. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.6263
[5] Esie P, Ta M. (2024). Cannabis Use Among Students in Grades 8, 10, and 12, by Sex — King County, Washington, 2008–2021. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 73:27–31. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7302a1.htm
[6] Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (2022). CDPHE releases latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/press-release/cdphe-releases-latest-healthy-kids-colorado-survey-data-0
