The University of Minnesota has inaugurated the Cannabis Research Center to study the public health impacts of marijuana legalisation and guide related policymaking. This initiative is supported by $2.5 million in annual funding from the state’s recreational marijuana law, aimed at establishing the centre within the university’s School of Public Health. Professor Traci Toomey, a specialist in substance use control policies, will lead the centre as its first director. She expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to conduct pioneering research on the health effects of adult-use cannabis legalisation, focusing on prevention, treatment of substance use disorders, equity issues, education, and decriminalisation.

The centre aims to fill the gap in robust research on marijuana legalisation’s public health effects, as Minnesota is only the 23rd state to legalise recreational use. Its vision is to “lead the scientific community in cannabis research,” with a focus on how cannabis affects underage users and its interaction with other substances like alcohol and opioids. Additionally, the centre will explore equity issues in cannabis production, sales, and use, contributing valuable insights to the evolving landscape of cannabis policy and public health.

Source: Star Tribune