I’m a proud daily cannabis consumer. I love the plant’s smell and taste and the effect it has on me. I prefer smoking flower because it remains the fastest acting, most reliable method I’ve found.In 2013, I founded Edible Events Company, hosting cannabis-friendly Friday night cocktail parties designed to normalize consumption. At these parties like-minded adults celebrated legalization in Denver art galleries with elegant food and live music. The events were immediately popular, and media attention followed quickly. Our collaboration with Colorado Symphony Orchestra,- “Red Rocks On A High Note” – was featured on Nightline.  After I made another appearance on CNBC promoting cannabis use,  I was asked to resign from my “day job” as a corporate event manager that I had held for eight years. While my monthly events were selling out, they were pushing the limits of legal social consumption. The parties attracted the attention of the anti-cannabis contingent and the city of Denver. In 2014, a SWAT team shut down my 4/20 brunch event at a small private bakery. In addition to receiving criminal charges and a year’s probation, I was explicitly banned from hosting events with cannabis consumption. The constant media attention put me in the spotlight. Suddenly, women from all walks of life were reaching out to me to ask how to enter the cannabis industry. With my new criminal record and no actual job in the sector, I certainly didn’t think I had sage advice to give. But I am good at organizing people and getting a lot done in a short amount of time, so I pivoted and focused my time on organizing women-led initiatives within cannabis. I founded Women Grow and held the group’s first networking meeting in 2014. Since then over 100,000 people have attended Women Grow networking events. After two years dedicated to building Women Grow, I set off on my own in 2016 to start a first of its kind company making luxe glassware and accessories for flower lovers like me. Want to join me in making life Better with Jane? You’re in the right place. Let’s keep this journey interesting.Jane West