What do you get when you cross a cellular biologist and accomplished biomedical researcher with an MBA in supply chain management?
“What you get is a dispensary owner in Washington, D.C.,” Chanda Macias says with a laugh.
Macias, who has 10 world and three U.S. patents to her name, is the owner and operator of the National Holistic Healing Center. She is also the chairwoman of Women Grow and a scientifically trained proponent of the benefits of medical marijuana.
“For me, it’s going to always be about the medicine,” she says. “I’ve seen my patients get better.”
Macias grew up in the District and received her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. at Howard University. The 10 years she spent as a cancer researcher led to her role as a cannabis dispensary owner. She admits to knowing more about research than retailing when she opened her doors.
“When I started, I literally did not know the ins and outs of how to run a dispensary,” she says.
But what she did know was the science showing that marijuana could help treat many diseases, including cancer, and her knowledge on supply chain management helped her become the top applicant and license-holder in D.C. At the same time, she noticed that in meetings with the Department of Health or with potential investors, she was typically the only black woman in the room, and sometimes the only woman at all, which she says was an eye-opening experience.
“I was shocked,” she says.
She attended conventions and trade shows looking for support but says she could not get answers. Even worse, back home in Washington, she says she could not find suppliers for her shop. Initially, the only person willing to offer her product would only give her access to two strains.
“It’s hard to grow a patient base with two strains,” she says.
Eventually her supplier offered her 10 strains, but she had to take all 10 at a total cost of $65,000. Macias says she knew her supplier was taking advantage of her, but with few other options available, she mortgaged her house and paid the bill, determined to create value through her education platform and grow her patient base.
“I market to patients that value education,” she says, adding that she now has regulars that come in multiple times per month and spend the same amount at each visit to get the products they need. “That’s telling me they are using the right medication consistently.”
Her gamble paid off as Macias says she now has an “overwhelming” market share in Washington, D.C. and now gets the same strains from her suppliers for about half what she initially had to pay. She also plans to open a second location this fall. But her experience highlighted the importance of supporting other minority and women retailers through groups like Women Grow. Macias now makes a point of encouraging other women to follow her path into the industry and she uses her shop to feature women- and minority-owned brands.
“My core is in the dispensary,” she says. “But my passion is in helping women and women-owned businesses.”