Minnesota health officials say that youth cannabis use continued to drop in 2025, even as the drug became legal in the state for adults.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey showed that 96% of students reported not using cannabis in the last month.
The survey also found that self-reported cannabis use in the past 12 months dropped 57.7% from 14.9% in 2013 to 6.3% in 2025. These statistics are gathered anonymously from students in grades five, eight, nine and 11.
Courtesy: Minnesota Department of Health.
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State health officials said adults should start the cannabis conversation early and in age-appropriate ways.
MDH said those conversations can begin with poison prevention for young children and continue through adolescence with a focus on laws and brain health.
“Despite positive trends, the student survey – indicates that some of our children are encountering cannabis at young ages,” said Minnesota Health Commissioner Brooke Cunningham. “We need 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 2025 survey was the first since adult cannabis use in Minnesota was legalized in 2023, showing healthier trends in student use and views of harm.
More students now see cannabis use once or twice a week as moderately to greatly harmful, reversing a trend from 2013 to 2022.
The survey is conducted every three years between January and June.
MDH said schools, local public health agencies and community groups use the data to guide youth substance use prevention work.
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