Five New Mexico teachers decided to quit their classroom jobs and dedicate themselves to educating in another area: the benefits and outdated prejudices about marijuana.
The women, who met at South Valley Prep in Albuquerque and are mostly Hispanic, created
La Tienda de Motita
, a marijuana dispensary that seeks to break down the stereotypes surrounding the plant.
As Laura Legarda, one of the teachers who joined the project, told the EFE news agency, it all started with a talk "between friends" who wanted to change the course of their profession and began the path of learning more about the process and the benefits of marijuana.
“You learn from a young age that it is a bad thing.
However, it is not a bad thing, it is a natural plant,” Legarda told EFE.
The five teachers who changed professions and now own a marijuana dispensary in Albuquerque.EFE
In New Mexico, the sale and purchase of recreational marijuana was legalized in April of last year.
Under the law, those over the age of 21 can purchase up to two ounces of marijuana at approved outlets.
The teachers decided to name the store in Spanish after the Hispanic community in New Mexico and named it
motita,
a diminutive of
mota
, which is what marijuana is informally called in Mexico.
It will start operating at the end of July.
[Lawyer Accused of Offering Police Chief $25,000 to Open Recreational Marijuana Business]
"My mother helped us choose this name,
" Mary Jean García, one of the new businesswomen and who is of Mexican origin, added to EFE.
She maintains that the intention of the store is to honor the ancestors.
“It is a miraculous plant;
changed my life forever.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of ignorance and stigma against its use and those of us who consume it are called marijuana users,” said García, who
used marijuana medicinally to calm the episodes of anxiety
he suffered.
He dedicated himself to teaching for 13 years.
Legal Sale of Marijuana for Recreational Use Begins in New Jersey
April 21, 202202:45
The teachers told EFE that the community has supported them in their project to open the store, and according to the agency, 318 million dollars in income have been generated in New Mexico since the commercialization of recreational marijuana was allowed, in addition, more than 11,000 jobs.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
