Fewer young people in Minnesota are using cannabis following the state’s legalisation of recreational marijuana for adults in 2023, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
The 2025 Minnesota Student Survey found that just 4.1 per cent of students reported using cannabis in the past month, whilst 6.3 per cent reported use in the past year. In 2013, 14.9 per cent of students reported using cannabis.
The percentage of eighth-, ninth- and eleventh-graders reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months has fallen by more than half since 2013.
Minnesota became the 23rd American state to legalise adult-use cannabis when Governor Tim Walz signed House File 100 into law on 30 May 2023. Possession, use, and home cultivation became legal for adults aged 21 and older from 1 August 2023. However, retail sales did not begin until 2025 following the establishment of the Office of Cannabis Management and the completion of its licensing process.
The law permits adults to possess up to two ounces of cannabis flower and eight grams of concentrates, and allows home cultivation of up to eight plants per household. The Office of Cannabis Management oversees a social equity-focused market, including licensing for cultivation, sales, and hemp businesses, as well as product testing and labelling requirements.
While the results found that youth consumption has continued to plummet, the survey also revealed that young people who do use cannabis start early, with 41 per cent reporting their first use at age 13 or 14. Eighth-graders were significantly more likely than older students to report first using marijuana at age 12 or younger.
The data “showed healthier trends related to student use and perceptions of harms”, according to an MDH press release.
However, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr Brooke Cunningham added that “we need to talk to our children about cannabis before they encounter it because we know the potential harms that early use can bring to their developing brains, mental health and futures.”
The survey also found a reversal in attitudes towards cannabis harm. Approximately 58 per cent of students now believe regular cannabis use poses moderate or great harm, reversing nearly a decade of decline in that sentiment. Only 20 per cent said it posed no harm.
Young people also greatly overestimate peer use. While 54 per cent believed their classmates consume cannabis, the survey found 92 per cent of students reported never using it.
The data from Minnesota adds to the growing body of evidence that legalising cannabis for adult use actually protects teens. A German survey of 7,001 young people aged 12-25 conducted between April and July 2025 found that youth cannabis consumption declined following the CanG act, which legalised adult-use cannabis in April 2024.
