5 former teachers plan to open dispensary in the South Valley

SOUTH VALLEY, N.M. — Five women – who all crossed paths at South Valley Prep as teachers – have decided to open up a dispensary.

“‘La Tiendita de Motita’ came up,” said Mary Jean Garcia. “It’s the little store with a little weed.”

She said the business venture came together one day after school.

“One day, we kind of had this idea – Munsey was kind of throwing this idea around at a happy hour – let’s open a dispensary,” Garcia said. “We’re like, let’s do it!”

The shop, located just south of the Dairy Queen on Isleta, has been in the works since February.

“Luckily, I’m with learners and educators and so we’re great researchers,” said Jamie Munsey.

The educators said they are putting the classroom behind them to teach a different type of curriculum.

“The South Valley, and in a lot of ways, cannabis, are kind of misunderstood and a lot of times taken at face value,” said Mallory Garcia, another former teacher at South Valley Prep.

They hope to teach others about the plant that is doing about $21 million in sales per month – for recreational use alone.

“We want to invest back into this community – this community is where we came from, this community is where we taught,” Garcia said. “We care about this community.”

After a little more red tape, they are hoping to open by the end of July.