'Invest In Her': Benzinga's Partnership With Latina Cannabis Entrepreneurs In National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, a proclamation designated by the U.S. Government to recognize the achievements of the Hispanic community.

We at Benzinga also want to celebrate those achievements by underscoring the dedication and hard work of these successful female entrepreneurs in the cannabis space who generate positive change in the industry and empower their communities.

Meet these women and learn all about "Invest in Her" - Benzinga's partnership to amplify women-owned businesses. 

Dr. Chanda Macias, CEO of Ilera Holistic Healthcare

In 2015, Dr. Chanda Macias became the country’s first woman of color medical cannabis operator as CEO of the National Holistic Healing Center in Washington DC. Several years later, she became the first Black female multistate operator in the United States as CEO of Ilera Holistic Healthcare, which is the first medical cannabis cultivator and processor in Louisiana.

Dr. Chanda Macias helped launch Louisiana’s medical cannabis market and maintains a unique strategic partnership with Southern University, one of only two cannabis license holders authorized to provide medical cannabis statewide.

In addition, Macias earned an MBA in Supply Chain Management from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Cellular Biology from Howard University where she was later the director of STEM Education in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences. Dr. Macias is also CEO and Chairwoman of the Board at Women Grow, the co-vice Chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable Board, and a council member of the Benzinga Cannabis Advisory Council.

Andrea Kruchik Krell, YVY Life Sciences

Andrea K. Krell was "born and raised in Uruguay, shaped in Israel, and cured in California," according to her professional profile. Her work involves helping to develop a new medical cannabis industry in her home country of Uruguay.

An entrepreneur with 10 years of international business experience, Krell knows how to build partnerships which is why she and her husband and business partner founded YVY, a medical cannabis company that since 2018 works with local growers using the regenerative agriculture model.

"I am passionate about creating sustainable and scalable agricultural practices and making sure patients around the world have access to natural, science-backed, and chemical-free medicine," Andrea said, as part of the company's purpose.

Andrea, a board member and spokesperson for CECAM Uruguay, talked to Diario R about the current situation of medical cannabis in Uruguay and the important laws which, if regulated, would generate "access to medicinal cannabis products for Uruguayan patients (...). So, some pharmacies would have the possibility to have the authorization to formulate magisterial formulas through a medical prescription."

Image by El Planteo

Priscilla Vilchis, the “Hollyweed Queen”

In 2014, Priscilla Vilchis became the youngest person and the first Latina to obtain a license to grow marijuana in Nevada. Then, three years later, she added a new distinction: in 2017 she also became the first Latina and first woman to receive cannabis licenses in California.

Vilchis began investing in cannabis and soon thereafter founded Premium Produce, a Nevada-based company dedicated to cannabis cultivation and production on a large scale. The company now manages a 25,000-square-foot farm. "I risked millions of dollars to be able to invest in this industry and many people called me 'crazy,'" Vilches said.

Baptized by the press as the “Hollyweed Queen” or “Queen of the Desert,” Vilches believes that "cannabis is medicine."

She sais her "main goal in entering the cannabis community was to intervene in the opioid epidemic that I was seeing in the healthcare space. I managed doctors in the health industry for many years and I saw firsthand that they had a serious problem there: patients were becoming addicted and I wanted to make a change."

Being a woman in the cannabis industry: “I would love to see more women in the world of cannabis. I think it's important for other strong-willed women to come together and make a lot of noise in this male-dominated industry,” she told El Planteo. “There are not many of us and that is something I would definitely love to see.” Among her next projects, Vilchis has already prepared new operations in California, which will be completed in the coming months.

Image by El Planteo

Gia Morón Of Women Grow

Gia Morón is a Latina professional who lives in Brooklyn and works in public relations, brand strategy and business development. Morón is using her extensive business experience to help bridge gaps in all industries, especially cannabis.

Morón is the executive vice president of Women Grow, the largest professional network for women in the cannabis industry. After transitioning from the Women Grow New York City market in 2016, Morón began working with the Women Grow headquarters in January 2017 as director of communications. As executive VP of the organization, Morón oversees the company’s day-to-day operations, internal and external communications, education programming and strategic partnerships.

Image by Women Grow

Morón recently commented on Biden’s pardon of federal cannabis convictions. “Although this is long overdue for the many lives who have paid a hefty price, we are encouraged by President Biden’s announcement to pardon federal offenses for simple marijuana possession and believe he is moving in the right direction toward Federal legalization. Our fight is not over, but we are grateful to see this turn. Let’s keep pushing to help restore lives, justice, and reform.”

Equity In The Cannabis Market: Invest In Her

At Benzinga, we understand that costs can be prohibitive for many companies in the space so we’re providing a series of scholarships in partnership with WomenGrow, Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Minority Cannabis Business Association to enable and support access for women and minority-owned businesses.

Gia Morón noted that the goal of this partnership is to create broader opportunities for women in cannabis. “It has been an honor working with the Benzinga team. Together we came up with a strategy to get women into rooms with investors, investment presentations, and high-net-worth networking circles,” Moron said at the recent Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago.

“It is no secret the challenges women face in the industry, our goal now is to work with strategic partners like Benzinga, who will assist us in addressing the gap in the market by creating pathways,” Morón said. “We are asking attendees to INVEST IN HER and in turn, they can expect phenomenal women-owned brands and businesses who are ready to make deals and build business relationships.”

Photo: Courtesy Of Jennifer Marquez On Unsplash