Sarina Gomez and Ericka Kelly are friends, fellow dance teachers, yogis and cannabis users.
They share a vision to create a safe space for men and women to heal their bodies and minds with cannabis.
Medicated Mavens, their brainchild, is an alternative healing company that infuses yoga, cannabis, dance movement, aromatherapy, massage, meditation and nutrition to help medical marijuana users.
“We don’t want any shaming that sometimes you need to meditate or need to medicate to get to a place of calm or peace,” Kelly said.
The two women use medical marijuana for different reasons. Kelly says it helps her migraines and high stress levels. Gomez says it helps her cope with the residual effects of her anorexia and post traumatic stress disorder.
“We both believe we are what you put in your body,” Gomez said. “I would rather put a plant in it than a pharmaceutical drug.”
Gomez and Kelly host Medicated Mavens events every two weeks. The events consist of a smoking and networking session, a sunset yoga class outdoors, educational presentations, and hanging out. Only cardholders are allowed to smoke marijuana during classes, Kelly said.
“We’ve found something that works for us and we’re smiling everyday and we want to share that with everyone,” Kelly said.
The women said they want to break the stereotype that people who use medical marijuana are lazy.
“I’m happy that we’re doing things like this,” said Shane Criswell, a medical-marijuana cardholder who said it was his first time at a Medicated Mavens event.
“It’s just a stress reliever for anxiety,” Criswell said, adding that he gets sore from a bad back. “It just helps take the edge off.”