Aparicio co-founded the Puerto Rico Medical Cannabis Association to educate, lobby, and campaign on behalf of users. As a result, there’s been a flood of recent investment in the cannabis sector, all of it, as per Puerto Rican law, moving through majority-owned Puerto Rican companies. In many ways, Portela and Pagan capture the spirit of the emerging medical cannabis sector in Puerto Rico. They’re the co-founders of Growth Leaders, a consulting company they created to shape the island’s nascent medical cannabis industry. Despite the fact that many young people are in favor of legalization, Puerto Rico remains a very conservative Catholic place.