Minneapolis, MN: The University of Minnesota School of Public Health has opened the state’s first-ever Cannabis Research Center. The goal of the Center is to “provide, interpret, and disseminate research information to guide policy and practice related to cannabis use in Minnesota,” and to “conduct timely and cutting-edge research on both the positive and negative public health effects of cannabis legalization across the lifespan.”
The Center is being funded by a $2.5 million appropriation from the state legislature.
Several states – including California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Utah – have similarly established (or are in the process of establishing) state-sponsored institutions to study the safety and efficacy of cannabis. Some of these programs have conducted FDA-approved clinical trials documenting cannabis’ efficacy in various patient populations.
Minnesota lawmakers passed legislation in 2023 legalizing and regulating the adult-use cannabis marketplace and facilitating the automatic review and expungement of marijuana-specific criminal records. Retail cannabis sales are anticipated to begin in 2025.
Additional information on Minnesota’s marijuana laws is available from NORML.