Ana Izquierdo, better known as La Reina de Mota (“the queen of marijuana” in Spanish) has been a longtime advocate for cannabis as a remedy for certain forms of trauma and other mental health diagnoses. Izquierdo herself has survived her own struggles, such as drug addiction in her early adult life and fighting homelessness for five years. After seeing how cannabis positively impacted her own life and personal battles, she decided to dive head-first into different avenues in Colorado’s new industry, from cannabis fashion to social responsibility with other cannabis industry leaders.

Izquierdo has used her role in cannabis to organize clothing kits for the homeless and provide aid to Puerto Rico with other cannabis leaders after the region was struck by hurricanes Maria and Irma. Now a YouTube channel host who gives advice to others struggling with addiction, Izquierdo hopes her story will inspire people who faced the same battles that she did while considering cannabis as a way to heal and find new communities of friends. We caught up with Izquierdo to learn more about what pulled her into the cannabis space, the challenges she’s faced as a woman in the industry, and how she’s used the plant to propel herself forward.

Imagine stepping into a tub full of steaming hot water, sinking in to maximize your relaxation. As you soak, you start to feel euphoric, full of bliss, and…high. But is that actually possible?

In Colorado, where pot is legal and we clearly care about self-care (Colorado ranks in the top-ten in Google searches for that term over the past five years), it is. Maybe you’ve seen bath products while shopping for flower or edibles at the dispensary and wondered whether indulging was worth your time and money. Maybe you’re just finding out about them now.

Unlike fruits and vegetables at the supermarket, organically grown marijuana doesn’t have labels announcing the clean growing practices used to produce it, because the plant is still federally prohibited. Tired of waiting for national acceptance, the Cannabis Certification Council, a Denver-based cannabis sustainability and fair trade organization, has announced its own organic certification process for legal marijuana growers.

According to CCC board chair Ben Gelt, applying for the program’s organic certification is similar to applying for traditional organic growing certifications: After the CCC receives the application, third-party certifying entities will conduct inspections and audits for several months before deciding whether applicants become accredited.

o many Sesame Street characters are iconic. Bert and Ernie. Oscar the Grouch. Back in 1977, Big Bird was on an iconic Sports Illustrated cover with tall, shaggy-haired Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych. Elmo was responsible for an all-time toy craze in 1996. And still, none of them compare to Cookie Monster.

Toddlers loved that blue fur and simple vocab. We envied his diet, and some of us still do. But as parents start watching the show with their kids and reconnect with Cookie Monster, some see a sad reflection of addiction and America’s sugar intake — or maybe that’s just the ranting of someone stoned off his ass on Cookie Monster, a Herculean strain with alleged Girl Scout Cookies and OG Kush origins that I’ve been smoking a lot lately.

Declaration Brewing smells a certain way during happy hour, after the employees of several nearby cannabis businesses get off work. Three of them, old friends from high school, leave their pot posts early one afternoon to share stories before the crowds arrive.

It’s not always easy to split your job before 4 p.m., but since Anthony Karas, Corey Buffkin and Ryan Buffkin all own their respective weed businesses, approval from the boss isn’t required. Karas and the Buffkin brothers have each created award-winning growing operations, expanding their businesses in similar lanes without stepping on each other’s toes.

Not that they’re scared to mix it up.

Although most universities remain tepid about marijuana because it’s still prohibited federally, they’re more than happy to dive into hemp right now. The plant produces the same cannabinoids as marijuana — just at levels deemed acceptable by the federal government — and scientists are excited to learn more about CBD. But their research doesn’t end there, with interest in CBN, CBG and CBC also gaining steam.

Colorado CBD company Panacea Life Sciences recently donated $1.5 million to Colorado State University to create a laboratory that will study hemp and medical applications of cannabinoids, the unique molecules produced in the cannabis plant. To learn more about the program and why Panacea donated the money, we caught up with founder Leslie Buttroff.

You could soon be able to burn legal weed and get a lap dance in the same complex, if a Glendale dispensary’s plans for a social marijuana consumption venue are realized.

Smokin Gun Apothecary, a Western-themed pot shop next to Shotgun Willie’s strip club, hopes to become the first dispensary in the state with a tasting room for social weed consumption, and the owners want it ready by every stoner’s favorite holiday. The store plans to open the social use space, named the Joint, onsite by April 20: 4/20.

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