The University of Minnesota last week launched the new Cannabis Research Center, only six months after the institution was authorized by the state’s marijuana legalization statute. The center, which was established as part of the university’s School of Public Health, will work to assess the impact of cannabis legalization in Minnesota and advise policymakers as they establish regulations and best practices for the state.

In May, Governor Tim Walz signed H. F. 100, which legalized cannabis for adults aged 21 and older. As part of the legislation, lawmakers included a $2.5 million annual appropriation to fund the center, which will be paid by cannabis tax revenue once the state’s regulated recreational weed market is up and running. Professor Traci Toomey, a public health policy expert focusing on substance use control policies, will serve as the Cannabis Research Center’s first director.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Walz for their leadership and support in creating Minnesota’s first-ever research center focused on cannabis here at the School of Public Health,” Toomey said in an announcement from the university’s School of Public Health. “I am excited for the opportunity to lead the Cannabis Research Center and, alongside my colleagues at the School of Public Health, to conduct innovative research on the health effects of adult-use cannabis legalization on people and communities across the state, including prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, equity issues, education and decriminalization.”

Assessing the Impact of Cannabis Legalization

The university noted that knowledge on the impact of cannabis legalization “is limited and inconsistent, due largely to the lack of formalized evaluations, robust data sets and strong research programs.” The Cannabis Research Center (CRC) is tasked with learning how Minnesotans use cannabis and how the legalization of marijuana affects the state’s people and communities. To guide its work, the CRC has already established several core principles including:

• Leading the scientific community in cannabis research.
• Upholding antiracist principles by prioritizing questions related to equity and incorporating antiracist practices into collaborations, research questions and methods, interpretations and communications.
• Maximizing health benefits and minimizing health problems related to cannabis by addressing timely questions now and into the future.
• Being a trusted source of information about cannabis research for individuals, communities and organizations.

“We will work collaboratively with state and local agencies and community-based organizations to explore and identify the initial research priorities related to cannabis use in Minnesota,” said Timothy Beebe, interim dean of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “I am confident that, under Dr. Toomey’s leadership, the CRC will provide the data and evidence our policymakers need to make informed decisions about cannabis to prevent inequity and adverse health impacts throughout Minnesota.”

One focus of research conducted at the CRC will be investigating how cannabis affects underage users, who can be particularly susceptible to the potential harms of marijuana use.

“For young people, their brain is still developing. And so there’s some concerns about the effects of cannabis on brain development,” Toomey told Minnesota Public Radio. “And the earlier people start using, there’s some concern that they may be more likely to develop a cannabis use disorder later in their life.”

Another priority of the CRC’s work will be exploring how cannabis legalization affects important issues such as public safety and health equity.

“What we see sometimes happens with other substances like alcohol and tobacco, is that sometimes some communities are disproportionately targeted by marketing, or maybe they have more of the stores or dispensaries in their neighborhood because some people want to buy the product, but they don’t want those stores in their neighborhood,” said Toomey.

Minnesota’s recreational marijuana law went into effect in August, allowing adults 21 and older to possess and use cannabis without fear of criminal penalties. State-licensed cannabis dispensaries are expected to open in early 2025 after policymakers establish the regulations for the commercial production and sale of cannabis products.

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Two advocacy organizations are coming together to decriminalize entheogens and continue fighting against the War on Drugs. Decriminalize Nature (DN) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) announced in a press release on January 27 that they are partnering up to target entheogen decriminalization and put an end to the War on Drugs by creating a Community Healing Alliance.

Both of these organizations have a longstanding history with drug advocacy, and this collaboration will no doubt strengthen the cause. As SSDP Board Member and also co-director of DN Michigan, Myc Williams believes that this partnership is essential to push progress forward. “A national alliance of these two organizations is a unique opportunity to tackle the harms of the drug war from all sides,” Williams said. “We are paving a path of unity that addresses both the injustices of current drug policy and provides accessible avenues for healing from the traumas that have occurred as a result.”

Many other people involved in this cause, such as SSDP Executive Director Jason Ortiz, are confident that this is the dawn of a new campaign. “We are uniting today to build the power needed to correct the profit driven framing being forced on us by corporations and their countless lobbyists,” said Ortiz. “This alliance will pair youth leaders with community practitioners to ensure that decriminalization and reparations are the priority for the drug policy movement as we end the disastrous and malicious war on drugs. Wherever they have a lobbyist, we will have an organized community ready to meet them.”

Additionally, many other DN and SSDP members of various roles provided hopeful statements about the Community Healing Alliance. One of the founding members of DN, Larry Norris, mentioned that DN and SSDP have worked together before in the past, but this official move to bind together will bolster support even more. Likewise, DN National Board Member Julie Barron shared her excitement to see what the two organizations will accomplish for people who are in need of support and healing.

Through many research studies, there is evidence that incarceration for drug possession or use does not improve public health and safety. A study conducted in January 2010, entitled “Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System: Improving Public Health and Safety,” suggested that convicting people of drug-related crimes simply spotlights the need to focus on other ways target the problem. “Punishment alone is a futile and ineffective response to drug abuse, failing as a public safety intervention for offenders whose criminal behavior is directly related to drug use,” the study concludes. “Addiction is a chronic brain disease with a strong genetic component that in most instances requires treatment. The increase in the number of drug-abusing offenders highlights the urgency to institute treatments for populations involved in the criminal justice system.” Furthermore, there are studies suggesting that prison therapy to treat drug addictions can be harmful, not helpful, to an individual’s recovery.

Both DN and SSDP have accomplished many things over the years. DN is newer to the advocacy scene, having been founded in Oakland in 2019, but its efforts have grown rapidly and there are chapters in over 50 cities in the U.S. Over these last few years, the organization has helped decriminalize entheogens in 14 cities. Its mission is to improve the lives of people interested in using entheogenic plants as a natural alternative to medical treatment, and also expand access by advocating for decriminalization “through political and community organizing, education and advocacy.”

Many chapters have been actively working on decriminalization efforts in their jurisdictions since last year. The Decriminalize Nature Boulder Chapter in Colorado has recently been working to change the language of a decriminalization effort aimed for the ballot next year. Decriminalize Nature Michigan spearheaded a signature gathering campaign last year.

SSDP on the other hand was founded in 1998, which now includes thousands of youth members and over 100 chapters throughout the U.S. The organization seeks to empower new generations to not only learn about and participate in politics, but to embolden their advocacy by fighting against causes that might harm other students or youth members in general.

To support this grassroots effort, feel free to learn more about what these organization stand for or donate to the cause for SSDP or DP.

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Buyer beware: Illicit delta-8 THC vape cartridges may be setting America up for another VAPI lung crisis.

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