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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.



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Minnesota

No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth 3, No. 10 Penn State 1: Goalied

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No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth 3, No. 10 Penn State 1: Goalied


After a heroic goaltending performance lifted Penn State to the Frozen Four last year, the Nittany Lions were on the receiving end of a strong goaltending night in Friday’s 3-1 NCAA Tournament loss to Minnesota-Duluth. Adam Gajan made 29 saves, many of them high-danger, to lift the Bulldogs past Penn State. Shea Van Olm scored Penn State’s only goal of the night in the first period. Josh Fleming made 36 saves in defeat for the Nittany Lions.

First Period

Penn State’s attack was relentless in the first period. Midway through the period, Casey Aman made a perfect cross-ice pass to Shea Van Olm. The freshman laced a beautiful shot past Adam Gajan to put Penn State on top 1-0:



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Walz doubts Vance, anti-fraud task force interested in helping Minnesota fight fraud

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Walz doubts Vance, anti-fraud task force interested in helping Minnesota fight fraud


Vice President JD Vance chaired the first meeting of an anti-fraud task force aimed at cracking down on fraud in government programs nationwide. Some of the fraud, he says, dates back 30 to 40 years.

However, in his opening remarks, he highlighted fraud in the Minnesota state government in recent years.

“Now what we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” he said, talking specifically about fraud in autism programs.

House Fraud Committee takes aim at autism programs

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In an interview recorded for “At Issue with Tom Hauser” on Friday afternoon, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he’d welcome help in fighting fraud but doubts how interested the Trump administration is in helping the state.

“All fraud is too much,” Walz said. “One dollar is too much. I don’t really believe the vice president is interested in helping with this. If he was, he’d get us more U.S. attorneys. If he was, he’d have more FBI agents out here focused on this rather than harassing people in the streets. But what I would tell Minnesotans on this is they know it’s unacceptable. We’re on the path to having the most secure programs in the country. I take full responsibility for making sure that’s fixed.”

Walz acknowledges the involvement of some in the Somali community in several fraud cases in Minnesota, but says the fight against fraud shouldn’t be based on race or ethnicity.

Walz says ‘organized crime’ to blame for extensive fraud in Minnesota

“Going on there and talking about the Somali community, there are plenty of white men committing fraud too, and I don’t hear him talking about that. What I would tell you as a Minnesotan, I don’t care what your ethnicity is, your religion, the color of your skin, if you’re committing fraud, you’re going to prison. That’s my job to make sure it happens.”

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You can see the entire interview with Gov. Walz on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on “At Issue.”

You’ll hear his response to a wide range of issues, ranging from his budget proposal to license tab fees to whether he plans to get involved in helping other Democrats in the midterm elections.



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Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives

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Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives


UNDATED (WJON News) — A new report says hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are caring for a loved one.

The AARP says its report indicates 840,000 Minnesotans are caregivers for adults, providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones.

They spend about 480 million hours of care each year, work that would be valued at $11.1 billion per year if it were paid in the marketplace, based on a value of about $23 per hour.

AARP says family caregivers are averaging about 27 hours each week.

More than half, 57 percent, are providing high-intensity care, meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections.

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AARP says these numbers are why it advocated to help secure Paid Family Leave and Medical Leave in Minnesota, giving family caregivers the ability to be there for their loved ones without sacrificing their jobs.

AARP also helps families navigate caregiving challenges by connecting them to resources.

Thanks For The Memories In MN Adam, SKOL Vikings

With the Minnesota Vikings waiving Detroit Lakes-native, former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick, Adam Thielen today, it’s only natural to go back and revisit his time with the hometown team. Here are some pictures of Adam in purple from his two stints with the Vikings, and his stats during his time with the Vikings. 

Gallery Credit: Getty Images





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