Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA)

The Racial Equity Impact Analysis helps the City consider racial equity outcomes when shaping policies, practices, programs and budgets.

Minnesota Department of Health grant for cannabis substance use prevention - REIA

Section 1: Background

Does this impact one of the City's Goal Areas

Policy Goals

Operational Goals

Public Safety	No
Housing	No
Economic Development	No
Public Services	No
Environmental Justice	No
Built Environment & Transportation	No
Public Health	Yes
Arts & Culture	No

Workforce	Yes
Spending	Yes
Data	Yes
Community Engagement	Yes

Describe the impact on selected goal areas.

Substance misuse of legal and illegal drugs is a major public health issue in Minneapolis and throughout the country. It includes the use of illegal drugs and the inappropriate use of legal substances, such as alcohol, cannabis, and commercial tobacco. Preventing substance misuse can save lives, reduce morbidity, increase quality of life, reduce trauma especially for children and can reduce health care and societal costs.

Who participated in completing this analysis?

Heidi Ritchie, Deputy Commissioner of Health

Evalyn Carbrey, Senior Public Health Specialist

Section 2: Data

LIST THE SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIES THAT WILL BE IMPACTED AND THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS OF CONSTITUENTS IN THOSE AREAS:

All areas of the city will be impacted with an emphasis on youth, parents, pregnant women, and legal users who may be misusing cannabis and other substances.

What does available data tell you about how constituents from BIPOC communities currently relate to the desired outcome as compared to white constituents?

Clinic data from 2023 shows that 2% of Minneapolis residents use Cannabis compared to 1% of all Minnesotans. This is likely an under-estimate given that it is based on medical records and not everyone will provide that information. In terms of race/ethnicity, estimates range from 6% among American Indian to 1% among Hispanic; by age group the highest prevalence is among 18 – 24-year-olds at 4%.

Among Minneapolis Public School (MPS) 11th graders participating in the 2022 MN Student Survey, 31% reported having used marijuana at least once in the previous year, and 19% reported having used in the previous 30 days, 6.4% reported using it at least once a week or more often.

In addition, youth have ready access to the existing legal cannabis market in Minneapolis. The University of MN School of Public Health found that Pseudo-underage buyers (look young but are over 21) were able to purchase hemp-derived THC products in 56% of the purchase attempts. Sales of hemp-derived THC products to pseudo-underage buyers were relatively high across communities regardless of community economic advantage (49% sales rate in communities with more economic advantage, 55% in communities with medium economic advantage and 68% in communities with less economic advantage). Stores that primarily sell age-restricted products (hemp-derived THC stores, exclusive tobacco retailers and liquor stores) sold to a pseudo-underage buyer 58% of the time. Stores that primarily sell non-age-restricted products sold to the pseudo-underage buyer 53% of the time. Moreover, there has been a sharp increase in cannabis exposures (edibles) for children under the age of 5. In 2022, 94 children <5 were reported to have ingested edibles in MN versus only 19 in 2020.

What data is unavailable or missing? How can you obtain additional data?

There are limitations to existing data sets like the MN Student Survey in that this is self-reported data and only includes a small number of Minneapolis Public School students. More information is needed on racial breakdown of substance users including among youth and pregnant women and other adults.

Section 3: Community Engagement

Using the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Public Participation Spectrum, which participation strategy(s) was used when engaging those who would be most impacted?

Inform	Yes
Consult	Yes
Involve	Yes
Collaborate	Yes
Empower	No

Describe the Engagement and what have you learned?

In spring 2025, MHD staff conducted a landscape assessment to review background information on cannabis policy, use, prevention messaging, and to learn from the experiences of others working on cannabis and substance use prevention. The purpose was to build foundational knowledge and clarify project goals. The assessment involved: meeting with other local and state public health staff and key informants working on substance use prevention, reviewing available data sources to provide local context on cannabis use among youth and pregnant women, and summarizing key themes and results including priority areas for action and communication. From this assessment, MHD identified the following project focus goals for the CSUP grant funding: primary prevention, include cannabis and other substances, focus on safe use for those who choose to use cannabis, focus on youth and pregnant women.

Section 4: Analysis

How does the outcome for this ordinance, amendment, or policy help the city achieve Racial Equity?

Minneapolis wants to engender an inclusive, equitable and safe cannabis market. This project will help us better understand who is most at risk for underage or unsafe cannabis use. MHD will take a health equity approach to identifying and targeting those who most need prevention and safe use messages.

Section 5: Evaluation

How will impacts be measured? What are the success indicators and process benchmarks?

A small portion of this grant will be used to fund Health Department staff to develop an evaluation plan for this new body of work.

How will those who are impacted be informed of progress over time?

Ongoing engagement with community and project partners is a high priority for MHD. Throughout the five-year CSUP grant, we will provide information and share progress in a variety of ways including:

1) Share back a summary of any community health assessment results.
2) Share annual reports, lessons learned, success stories, and other progress reports with project partners.

MHD will also collaborate and share back information with key partners and youth related groups such as the Public Health Advisory Council, Minneapolis Youth Congress and the School Based Clinic Youth Empowerment group and receive feedback from these same bodies.

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