Cannabis In Schools? Minnesota Students To Learn About Marijuana Risks, Brain Development Under New Mandatory Curriculum

A new school year is always a whirlwind of activities, and starting this fall, Minnesota students are up for an additional activity, as their curricula will include cannabis education as well.

The new mandatory cannabis education in the 2026–2027 school year will cover brain development, health risks, and modern THC products, reported KSTP.

The move was prompted by the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) directive, which suggests districts must adopt science-based curricula, either from a list of model programs or locally developed options.

The state government agency proposed model programs that meet the legislative requirement, including:

• Cannabis: The Facts You Need to Know
• Marijuana Prevention Plus Wellness
• Smart Talk: Cannabis Prevention and Awareness Curriculum

MDE said in a statement that schools may choose to adopt one of the identified programs or implement their own.

“While it is not required for a school district or charter school to use one of the programs on the list, the options and rubric provided may be useful to school districts and charter schools in their own decision-making process,” MDE noted.

Curriculum focus will be expanding students’ knowledge on brain development, addiction risks, edibles, vape products, and high-potency cannabis, reflecting today’s stronger THC products. It addresses concerns around high-THC products, hemp-derived cannabis sales, and accidental youth exposure, including recent incidents involving THC edibles in schools.

“Cannabis comes in so many different forms and is a lot stronger today than it was 10 years ago,” he said. He wants students to understand the differences between THC products,” said Michael Durchslag, executive director of P.E.A.S.E. Academy, a substance abuse recovery high school through Transitional Charter Schools. “It is really to let the youth know about edibles and THC pens and old school flower and what it does to your body and what it does to your brain and how it impacts development.”

Educators’ goal is to shift from punishment-based approaches to prevention and open conversation about substance use in schools.

“With a new curriculum that is coming out that is really geared toward how do we prevent students from picking up that first time or continuing to use,” Durchslag said. “Now that it is legal, parents are less likely to hide it or more likely to choose to try it as an alternative to alcohol, and so youth have a lot more access to it than they ever have in the past.”