Minnesota

Daily alcohol, cannabis use on the rise in Minnesota • Minnesota Reformer

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2024

Daily alcohol, cannabis use on the rise in Minnesota • Minnesota Reformer

A recent study published in the journal Addiction found that for the first time, daily marijuana users outnumber daily alcohol drinkers in the United States.

Public health experts are keeping a close eye on the trend, as daily marijuana users are at higher risk of suffering negative health effects like heavy vomiting episodes, cardiovascular disease, dependency and psychosis.

Marijuana use is on the rise in Minnesota too, a Reformer analysis of federal data shows. The share of Minnesotans over age 12 reporting they used marijuana in the past month rose from 7.7% in 2017 to 15.4% in 2022. Monthly alcohol use fell modestly over that same period.

Daily marijuana use — defined as using the drug on 20 or more of the past 30 days — increased from 2.9% to 5.9% over the same period. But daily marijuana users in Minnesota are still vastly outnumbered by daily drinkers, who comprised roughly 12% of the population in 2022.

Some caution is warranted with these numbers. They’re from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a long-running federal project considered the gold standard survey of American substance use. But the survey methodology changed in 2020 to accommodate pandemic restrictions, which makes it harder to compare numbers on either side of that year.

The pandemic also brought sharp increases in drug and alcohol use. It remains to be seen whether those numbers will remain elevated or revert back to pre-pandemic averages.

Still, multiple data sources show that marijuana use is on the upswing nationally as laws change and attitudes liberalize. Minnesota’s data also show use rates climbing prior to the pandemic, another indicator that the observed spike in 2022 is reflecting real-world behavior.

Nationally, those increases seem to be concentrated among older, rather than younger users. “Marijuana is becoming something of an old person’s drug,” as researchers Jonathan Caulkins and Keith Humphreys recently wrote. “As a group, 35-49-year-olds consume more than 26-34-year-olds, who account for a larger share of the market than 18-25-year-olds.”

That’s a somewhat reassuring development, as researchers believe young peoples’ brains are more susceptible to the negative effects of drug use than older peoples.

One area of concern for public health experts is that daily use is much more common among cannabis consumers than alcohol drinkers. Slightly more than half of Minnesotans drink alcohol on a monthly basis, and roughly 20% of those monthly consumers have a drink nearly every day.

Whereas Minnesota’s monthly marijuana users comprise only 15% of the population, but nearly 40% of them use marijuana 20 days or more in a given month.

While it draws less scrutiny than marijuana use, Minnesota’s rate of frequent drinking is also an area of concern, particularly if daily drinking is on the rise as the data suggest. The latest research on drinking finds that there’s no “safe” level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a carcinogen directly responsible for over 1,000 deaths in Minnesota each year and indirectly implicated in many more.

If some of Minnesota’s drinkers were to switch to cannabis it could be a net benefit to public health, given the greater risks associated with daily alcohol use.

But so far the signs on that front are mixed: While the share of Minnesotans drinking monthly has declined modestly, the rate of daily alcohol use has risen in tandem with the increase in heavy marijuana use.

The data suggest, for instance, that tens of thousands of Minnesotans now use both alcohol and cannabis on a daily basis, which greatly increases their risk of addiction and health problems.

Source link

Click to comment

Minnesota

Iran conflict: 250 Minnesota National Guard member serving in Middle East

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Iran conflict: 250 Minnesota National Guard member serving in Middle East

(FOX 9) – The Minnesota National Guard tells FOX 9 there are currently 250 guard members on regularly scheduled deployment at the United States Central Command areas of responsibility as the United States leads strikes in Iran.

Guardsman in Middle East

What we know:

The Minnesota National Guard says the deployed airmen and soldiers are serving from Duluth’s 148th Fighter Wing, the Marshall-based 1-151 Artillery, and the Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company.

What they’re saying:

“While their missions and duty locations vary, all are grateful for the strong support of those back home,” writes Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, State Public Affairs Officer for the Minnesota National Guard.

What we don’t know:

The guard did not disclose the exact bases or countries where the soldiers and airmen are serving.

CENTCOM covers 21 countries including: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Pres. Trump says Iran operations likely to last 4 to 5 weeks

Big picture view:

In his first public remarks since the launch of the attack on Iran, President Trump said he expected operations to last four to five weeks, but he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

The president also laid out his objective for the mission: to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to “annihilate” their navy, to ensure the country doesn’t obtain a nuclear weapon and that the regime “cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

WorldMinnesotaPolitics

Source link

Minnesota

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Published

15 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Iranians in Minnesota react to Khamenei death

Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. While many Iranian-Americans expressed hope for regime change, anti-war protesters also took to the streets to condemn the military strikes, with some members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation calling the operation “unlawful” and “illegal.”

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East. Anti-war protesters also took the streets of Minneapolis Saturday.

Plus, Jewish communities say they are on high alert over concerns of potential retaliatory acts in major cities across the U.S.

‘Massive moment’

What we know:

Following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation in Iran, Khamenei was killed in an attack, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday.

What they’re saying:

Iranian community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street on Sunday to express hope for regime change.

Dozens of Iranian-Americans said they are celebrating the news.

“We are here to support Iranian people. Today, everybody is happy, very happy,” said Beheshteh Zargaran, an Iranian-American.

“Killed Khamenei, which was the supreme leader, and hopefully they will continue this action and help Iranians finally topple the Islamic regime,” said Faraz Samavat, an Iranian-American.

“That means a lot. We are fighting for almost half a century to destroy this cruel regime against people of Iran,” said Ali Mohammad, an Iranian-American.

Iranians in MN celebrate strikes by Pres. Trump

Iranians in the Twin Cities are gathering in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation. Community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street to express hope for regime change after news that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in Saturday’s airstrikes.

The other side:

Protesters also took to the streets in the Twin Cities over the weekend condemning the strikes.

Some people are criticizing the military operation including members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation. Congresswoman Betty McCollum called the strikes “unlawful” and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called the war “illegal and unjustified.”

Heightened security:

Jewish communities in Minnesota say they are also on high alert following security guidance across the country to prevent potential retaliatory violence.

“A heightened sense of vigilance making sure that everybody is aware of their surroundings and that all of the protective measures are in place,” said Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

There are currently no known specific threats against local Jewish communities.

WorldDonald J. TrumpPoliticsMinneapolisReligion

Source link

Minnesota

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

article

Storm reports in from Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 28.

LANESBORO, Minn. (FOX 9) – Impressive snow totals were reported in parts of Minnesota after a narrow band of heavy snowfall worked its way across the state.