Macias: Black Woman Pioneer in Medical Cannabis Industry

Direct marijuana research study was off-limits, Macias pivoted to prostate cancer cells studies. She later on signed up with Colgate-Palmolive as a researcher, however the desire to return to cannabis never left. When D.C. revealed its medical dispensary licensing procedure in 2012, she immediately claimed, “I’m doing this.”

Early Life and Education

Raised in a working-class family, Macias came to be a solitary mother as a teen when her kid’s father was jailed during the elevation of the war on medicines. “Nobody ever before thought that I was mosting likely to most likely to university,” she remembers. She enlisted at Howard College, where she found an enthusiasm for science. “Yes, I was working 2 jobs and elevating a child, however I loved scientific research,” she states.

Fulfilled with resistance due to her cannabis ties, Macias chose not to conceal her identity. “The area at initial actively tried to remove me,” she states.

Overcoming Resistance in Cannabis

Editor’s note: This short article was originally released on Forbes in January 2025. It has been upgraded in May 2025 to show new developments, including Brittney Griner’s terminated appearance at the Women Grow top.

Macias stands out in the marijuana area as a pioneer, business owner and researcher. As the Chief Executive Officer of National Holistic Recovery Center in Washington, D.C., she came to be the very first Black woman to open and run a clinical cannabis dispensary on the East Coastline. Straight marijuana research study was off-limits, Macias pivoted to prostate cancer studies. In Louisiana, Southern College touched Macias to save its struggling clinical marijuana program. Met with resistance due to her marijuana connections, Macias chose not to conceal her identity.

Leading Medical Cannabis Initiatives

Her work expanded past D.C. In Louisiana, Southern College touched Macias to rescue its struggling medical cannabis program. She raised over $2 million, launched the procedure, and helped the HBCU become the very first in the united state to grow and manufacture lawful clinical cannabis.

As Macias pursued cancer-related study, she started discovering the plant’s capacity. “It was common knowledge that if you had cancer cells, you needed to discover somebody to get marijuana,” she discusses. Regardless of its outrage, marijuana was already a silent staple of signs and symptom relief in her neighborhood.

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In 2015, she went back to the U.S. after regulatory authorities warned her certificate would certainly be revoked unless she opened within 60 days. With assistance from D.C. farmer Corey Barnett, who sold her a single ounce of cannabis on credit, she opened up National Holistic Recovery Center with 13 patients and furnishings from her house.

Challenges and Resilience

Women Grow’s 2025 Management Summit was readied to note one more landmark, with WNBA star Brittney Griner scheduled to supply a keynote. On Feb. 17, Griner quickly left the occasion after locating a troubling message in her hotel area. Women Grow called it “an assault” and pledged to proceed its job.

Macias stands out in the marijuana space as a entrepreneur, trailblazer and scientist. As the Chief Executive Officer of National Holistic Recovery Facility in Washington, D.C., she ended up being the first Black lady to open and operate a medical cannabis dispensary on the East Coast. Her trip had not been simple.

Cannabis Research and Advocacy

Today, Macias remains to advisor drivers, push for fair legislation and advise regarding the threats of company combination. “Taxation will certainly kill your organization,” she keeps in mind. Rescheduling to Set up III could bring advantages however could likewise enable Huge Pharma to dominate.

“I shed my house, but I believed in myself and the plant,” she states. Throughout that time, Macias took a trip to Africa to lead contagious condition study.

She looked into emerging research, especially research studies out of Israel, and came close to professors about incorporating cannabis into her work. “He claimed, ‘It’s illegal.’ And I resemble, ‘We’re researchers,'” she bears in mind.

In 2024, Macias co-created Hope, a line of product customized for youngsters with autism, in collaboration with supporter Erica Daniels. Hope produced over $1 million in its very first year, supplying relief to families seeking choice treatments.