By David Hernandez
Welcome Back Happy Munkey Fam! We hope you have been enjoying the first half of Latinx Heritage month! To keep the celebration going the Happy Munkey crew is bringing you another volume of standout Latinx individuals in the cannabis industry. We are big believers in giving people their flowers while they are here, but with that being said this is not by any means an end all be all kind of list. There are a lot of Latinx people making huge strides in the cannabis industry and we plan to continue shining light on our entire Latinx cannaFam in future issues! Until then please enjoy our second installment of “Latinx En Cannabis”
Rita Montoya:
Rita Montoya is a practicing attorney in the state of Maryland, proud medical patient, advocate, mother, and self described Chronic Pain & Illness Warrior! When I first met Rita what stood out to me was her tenacity around patient access and quality control in the Maryland medical cannabis market. She doesn’t take simple No’s as an answer and she really gets shit done! Originally from the West Coast with Mexican roots, Rita is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the DMV area!
Gia Moron:
Gia Moron is the President of Women Grow, a networking and advocacy platform that seamlessly brings together canna-curious individuals with power players in the industry, with a heavy female first focus! Gia is a native New Yorker and is no stranger to the cannabis industry or the world of public relations where she made a name for herself working as a Media Relations Officer for Goldman Sachs for over 15 years! Gia has also been a longtime supporter of the Happy Munkey movement and we are grateful and proud to have her as part of the Munkey Tribe!
Mario Guzman:
Mario Guzman is the master cultivator who is credited with creating world famous strains, including: Gelato, Sunset Sherbert, and Pink Panties. Mario is the owner of the sensational California brand Sherbinskis, which since being founded in 2014, has grown from a flower to lifestyle brand, offering genetics, a variety of cannabis products, merch and more.
Roger Obando:
Roger Obando is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in software development and consulting in both the enterprise and start-up world. Most notably he created Baker Technologies, which was a revolutionary software platform that helped cannabis companies better serve their clients and patients by using big data to build and retain positive relationships with their customers! Roger is also a Happy Munkey supporter and can be heard chopping it up on the Boulevard with Vlad & Ramon on Episode 10 of the Happy Munkey Podcast!
Nelson Guerrero:
Nelson Guerrero is Ecuadorian-American and East Coast native that has been making impactful strides for the Latinx community since 2016. Nelson is the co-founder of the Cannabis Cultural Association, which heavily emphasizes criminal justice reform, promotes access to medical cannabis, and advocates legalization for adult-use of cannabis. Nelson has also made it his mission to educate and inform the Latinx Community about the wonders of cannabis, from its medical benefits to potential economic opportunities! Thank you Nelson!
Jamie Partida:
Jamie Partida is the Co-Founder of Culture Club NYC and CannaGather NY Brand Ambassador, as well as regular contributor to the Munkey Biz magazine! A proud Chicana, Jamie is fountain of cannabis and holistic living knowledge! In the days before Covid, Jamie could be regularly seen at the many cannabis networking events, sharing her energy and excitement for the industry. Jamie has also been a huge advocate in drug policy reform, as well as pushing the conversation forward on the importance of social equity in the cannabis industry out East!