Women to Watch: Ellie McDaniel
By Brandon Dunn
Ellie McDaniel is an Okie with Missouri roots. She and her family aim to recreate her success in medical cannabis in Oklahoma back home in Missouri.
McDaniel is an owner and the operations manager for Missouri Medical Manufacturing, an aspiring cultivation and manufacturing applicant.
Is it difficult being a woman in the cannabis industry? “I love it! I very rarely meet other women growers. Most of them are dispensary owners or managers,” McDaniel said. ”I feel like, in some ways, I have the upper hand. As a woman, I am very good at multitasking and organizing a project. I am also extremely detail oriented, so I will work 12-13 hour days to make sure all of the plants look perfect at all times.”
“The downfall to being a woman is the hard labor that is involved. I haul soil, plants, nutrients, drip pans, and other supplies on a daily basis. I think men definitely have the upper hand when it comes to the work coming easier.”
McDaniel brings recent success to the new Missouri market.
“Once it became legal, I started growing my six plants at home immediately. While I had my fun at home, we designed, permitted, and built out a 12,500 square foot facility in the Oklahoma City Metro. Our facility includes a grow and a dispensary.”
McDaniel’s facility, which sits right outside city limits, has been successful, but McDaniel says the most important part of her current business is offering patients affordable medicine. “At all times, we offer $10 grams, and sometimes $8 grams. We also offer affordable prices on vape cartridges, edibles, and tinctures.”
In Missouri, MMM will sell directly to other businesses.
“We hope to gain the State’s approval, to open a 40,000 square foot grow and manufacturing center. Our goal is to produce as much product as possible, so we can then sell that product to other commercial entities at an affordable price. This should allow dispensaries that carry our product to offer affordable medicine to the patients of Missouri. We have been successful in Oklahoma thus far. We feel confident in expanding to Missouri,” McDaniel explains. “It’s family owned, and not just by any family. We truly care about producing a quality, safe product for the patients of Missouri.”
“I got into cannabis many, many years ago. I have always believed in it’s medicinal benefits,” McDaniel said. “My father’s mother had Huntington’s Disease when I was a little girl. This disease is hereditary, and deteriorates your brain and bodily functions. It really impacted him in a very negative manner. He had violent behavior and really struggled with depression. After my mother separated from my father, he committed suicide. I was twelve years old at this time. We believe my father may have had Huntington’s. If he did, my siblings and I face a 50/50 chance of having it later on in life. The FDA is currently in the process of approving a marijuana-based prescription for Huntington’s Disease. It is the first medication to show promising benefits to Huntington’s Disease victims. I believe consuming marijuana daily is reducing my odds of this disease actually becoming active.”
McDaniel says that same access granted in Oklahoma is the best part of medical marijuana in Missouri.
“Patients can finally use a safer alternative to dangerous, addictive prescription drugs. THC and CBD can do so much for people. I truly believe we need to be using it as Vitamin C, or a Lortab. You can take it in small doses, as a preventative, or as a pain reliever when you really need it. This is one of the most beneficial plants we have on this planet. I look forward to Missourians being able to have access to this medicine on an everyday basis.”
While many in the cannabis business see it as their cause or calling, McDaniel sees it as a means to do more.
“Even though I love cannabis, I would say I’m most passionate about being involved with organizations that provide shelter and counseling to abused women and children. When I was a child, I watched the verbal and physical abuse within my home. My first relationship out of high school, unfortunately, ended up being an abusive one, too. It ended with me being beaten, homeless, heart broken, and alone with a son to raise. I was eighteen at that time.
“I believe that if I never would have been exposed to the violence within my home as a child, I may have never been passive about the abuse within my own romantic relationship. I want to help be that motivation and encouragement to other women dealing with these same struggles. I want them to know they can come from nothing, and conquer everything. They do not have to settle – ever,” McDaniel said. “I choose cannabis because I believe it can offer me an opportunity to make a significant amount of money that I can someday use to give back to the causes close to my heart.”
“I think coming from poverty has definitely given me a drive that most people cannot understand. There have been times in my life that I attended college, worked two jobs, and still took care of my son by myself. Money is great, but I’m able to truly understand that it isn’t happiness. The hard times have molded me into an incredibly strong individual. I have a purpose in life. I didn’t go through all of these hardships for nothing. I will make a difference.”