Courtesy of Cindy Ortiz
Cindy Ortiz (center) poses with the staff at her dispensary, Midnight Greens, on Route 42 in the township.
A 50-year-old breast cancer survivor has opened her own marijuana dispensary to minimize the stigma surrounding the plant and emphasize its benefits.
Cindy Ortiz’s Midnight Greens opened earlier this month on Route 42 in the township. She used cannabis as an alternative to opioids for the first time after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 42.
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“I … used cannabis for the first time to help deal with the surgeries and chemo,” she recalled.
“During the chemo,” said Cori Laphan, a close friend of Ortiz, “she had a hell of a time. She used marijuana and it really helped her get through everything.”
Ortiz decided to teach others about the benefits of the marijuana plant.
“When I realized how beneficial it was,” she recalled, “I tried to educate people on it and break the stigma around it. Most people associate it with stoners just looking to get high, but it helps with pain and helps reduce anxiety. Education is a big part of it (the dispensary).”
Another goal of Midnight Greens is to help