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University cannabis research center urges conference committee to preserve state funding as dispensaries approach opening
Summary
The director of the University of Minnesota’s newly created cannabis research center said state funding is essential for Minnesota‑focused, real‑time research on legalization’s health effects and implementation. The House and Senate differ on whether to maintain a dedicated appropriation for cannabis research.
The University of Minnesota’s cannabis research center told the Higher Education Conference Committee that state funding is critical to produce Minnesota‑specific, timely research on public‑health consequences of cannabis legalization and to support prevention, treatment and implementation work.
"The charge of the center is to conduct independent research to assess health effects, related to cannabis legalization and cannabis," Tracy Toomey, director of the Cannabis Research Center at the School of Public Health, said. "This is not the time to stop the critical research that is needed right now in Minnesota."
Background and the bills: The research center was funded in 2023. Nonpartisan analysts noted the House side consolidates a $6.5 million per‑biennium cannabis research appropriation into operations and includes it; the Senate columns show an elimination of the dedicated cannabis research appropriation. The House and Senate side‑by‑side thus present conflicting treatments of the line.
Why state funding matters, supporters said: Toomey told the committee state dollars allow the center to be nimble — launching projects in a month or two — and to collect local data that federal surveys may not capture. Researchers said Minnesota‑specific evidence will be useful to colleges, public‑health agencies and K‑12 systems confronting youth vaping and new retail products.
Fiscal and schedule notes: Committee staff said the 2023 chapter that created the center appears as a general‑fund appropriation in prior session law; advocates stressed that revenue from taxed adult cannabis sales had been intended to offset legalization costs over time but retail sales and tax receipts are not yet in place.
Closing: Toomey and other witnesses urged the conference committee to include continuing, dedicated funding for the Minnesota Public Health Cannabis Research Center so the program can respond once retail dispensaries open across the state.
