Data from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey shows that cannabis use among teenagers in the state declined significantly between 2013 and 2025 across multiple grade levels. Despite these positive trends, health officials emphasize the importance of early intervention and have provided resources for adults to discuss the risks of cannabis with children.

Minnesota Teens Are Tossing the Pot Less Often These Days

Apr 23, 2026

Source:

TG Branfalt

Ganjapreneur

The narrative that legalizing cannabis leads to a massive surge in underage use is taking another hit, this time with fresh data out of Minnesota. According to the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey, the first significant look at youth behavior since the state legalized adult-use cannabis in 2023, teen consumption rates aren't just holding steady—they’re plummeting.

The numbers are pretty staggering when you look at the long-term trend. Back in 2013, roughly 25% of 11th graders reported using cannabis in the past year. Fast forward to 2025, and that number has been sliced nearly in half to just 12.7%. The drop is even more dramatic for younger students; 9th-grade use fell from nearly 14% down to 4.1%, and 8th-grade rates dipped to a tiny 2.5%. Overall, statewide teen use fell from 10% to just 4.1% over the twelve-year span.

For those of us who have been advocating for a regulated, common-sense market, this is a major win. It proves that when you move cannabis out of the shadows and into a licensed, age-gated system, you can actually improve public safety and decrease illicit access for kids. By replacing the "forbidden fruit" allure with boring, strictly regulated retail shops that check IDs, the culture is shifting toward a more mature understanding of the plant.

Health officials, like Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham, are using this "positive trend" as a springboard for better communication rather than a reason to relax. The state has even released new resources to help parents have honest, age-appropriate chats with their kids about the actual risks of early use on developing brains.

For the everyday enthusiast, this news is the perfect ammunition to counter outdated stigmas. It shows that a healthy, accessible cannabis community can coexist with responsible youth prevention. If you’re a parent or mentor, take a page out of Minnesota’s book: keep the stash locked up, keep the conversation open, and let the data show that legalization is working exactly how it should.