Cannabis

Minnesota adolescents’ cannabis use after legalization

About the study:

In the past decade, several policy changes have moved Minnesota incrementally towards legalization, yet the rates of cannabis use among youth have declined, from 10% in 2013 to 6% in 2022.4 Since Minnesota legalized adults’ recreational use of cannabis in 2023, there has been great interest in the changes this policy might bring to use among adolescents, which remains illegal. The 2025 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) will provide the first opportunity to capitalize on this natural experiment and see if, how, and for whom, adolescent cannabis use has changed, using a very large population-based sample of youth. 

This study uses MSS data to explore two new research questions among middle- and high-school students (ages 12-19):

  1. How have rates of past 30-day cannabis use changed between 2022 and 2025, that is, pre- and post-legalization for adult use? Do changes differ across socioeconomic status (SES) and intersecting social identities of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender? 
  2. In 2025, how are patterns of higher-risk cannabis use (i.e. early initiation, acquisition through unregulated sources, ingestion through smoking, simultaneous use of alcohol) associated with experiences of stigma and emotional distress, and do the patterns vary by SES and social identities?

 

 

Cannabis use and attitudes among Minnesota youth: Exploring differences across time and intersecting social identities

Aims

We will use existing data from the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) to explore three research questions among middle- and high-school students (ages 12-19):

  1. How have rates of current (i.e. past 30-day) marijuana use changed in the past decade (2013-2022) as state policy has advanced towards legalization? 
  2. Do trends differ across social identities of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity? 
    In 2022, how do frequent marijuana use, marijuana vaping, and perceived risks, norms, and social approval differ across intersecting social identities? 
  3. Building on analyses for Aim 2, how does stigma (racist, homophobic, transphobic bullying) explain observed disparities in marijuana use?

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Publications and Findings

Eisenberg ME. Gower AL. Pieczykolan LL. Watson RJ. Regular cannabis use and promotive attitudes among diverse adolescents: the role of age and intersecting social positions. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 276:112851. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112851

Gower AL. Watson RJ. Pieczykolan LL. Eisenberg ME. The Role of Bias-Based Bullying in Frequent Cannabis Use among Adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 170: 108441. Available online Aug 1, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108441.