The Bla Canni OUR ROOTS RUN DEEP:
The Bla Canni
Over the past three years, The Black Canni has grown into a bold and necessary platform for advocacy, education, and healing. From lobbying for cannabis policy on Capitol Hill as Co-State Director for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, to curating immersive experiences like the Black Canni Sesh, Road Trip to Psychedelics, and A Taste of 420—we have been intentional about creating spaces that honor legacy, build knowledge, and open pathways for healing and equity.
We have partnered with organizations such as the Minority Cannabis Business Association, Innovation Works Baltimore, Justis Connection, and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers to strengthen our reach and resources. We published a Cannabis 101 Handbook to ground our communities in knowledge, and we have held Sesh Talks to deepen understanding around hemp, cannabis, and healing. Now, as we convene the 3rd Black Canni, we do so with a spirit of gratitude and responsibility.
I am humbled to have been recognized by the Baltimore Sun in February of 2024 as one of 24 Black Marylanders to Watch. More importantly, I remain steadfast in my advocacy for cannabis descheduling, dismantling stigma for seniors, and building a future where consumers become advocates for themselves and their communities.
Looking forward, we are preparing to launch a Black Canni cohort in 2026 to support under-estimated communities in Old West Baltimore—those most impacted by the war on drugs—providing pathways into the regulated market and ancillary opportunities.
Our work is about restoration, representation, and radical imagination. The Black Canni is not just an event, it is a movement.
— Maurissa Stone, Founder, The Black Canni
THE BLACK CANNI LEGACY & LIFE EDITION
The Living Well
The Living Well is a community “third space” for healing, cultural sustainability, and economic vibrancy. We incubate artists, healers, and social entrepreneurs; host circle work and liberatory learning; and connect communities to practical resources—training, mentorship, and opportunities that foster growth in both individuals and their communities.
Why the Black Canni Matters
The Black Canni is our social-justice, healing, and mutual-aid response to the War on Drugs. It honors legacy operators, repairs harm through education and advocacy, and builds real pathways into the regulated and ancillary cannabis economy. Through circles, skill-building, and culturally rooted wellness practices, we o er community care, credible information, and resource navigation—so those most impacted can access healing, opportunity, and dignity.
AGENDA
DAY 1:
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217 Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
MORNING
• Ancestral Libation & Land Acknowledgment – Nneka Nnamdi, TLW Brain Trust
• Welcome - Maurissa Stone, Founder | Curator
• Circle Work – Why, how it works, and its impact
• Honoring the Plug – Remembrance of Matthew “Mateo Blu” Rice, Artist & Cannabis Healer
• Stories of Resistance – Changa Onyango, TLW Brain Trust
• Roles and goals of the Maryland Cannabis Administration - Tabatha Johnson, Executive Director
MIDDAY
• Policy & Police – Lawrence Grandpre, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle
• Expungements – Shyia Clark, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
• Naming the Trauma – Dr. Henry Gregory, TLW Brain Trust
• Healing Trauma – Dr. Paulette Smith & Ibrahim Turay (Immersive Healing Technologies)
LUNCH & PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
AFTERNOON: PATHWAYS REGULATORY | ANCILLARY MARKET
• Maryland Office Of Social Equity
• 87 Walnut
• Kamnisha Wellness
• Piedmont Hemp Co.
• City Weeds
• Upling
• Green Guard
GROUP IDEATION & CLOSING - JASON HARRIS, TLW BRAIN TRUST
DAY 2:
Harlem Theater – 614–618 N. Gilmore St., Baltimore, MD 21217
Sunday, October 5 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
MORNING
Ancestral Libation & Land Acknowledgment (About the Harlem Theater)
Tea Time: Tea Ritual, Sound Healing & Grounding
- Ine Saka, Brain Trust, Psychiatric and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The Role of Cannabis in Healing & Health
• Dr. Paulette Smith, MS, LCSW-C
• Jessica Lewis, MS, BSN, RSN
LUNCH & PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
• Cooking with Flower - Soul Cakes
• Cannabis in Death & Dying – Charmaine Turner, Death Doula
• Soulful Return: Canni & Breathwork Journey - Charlotte James and Jevon Hamlet
CLOSING
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
LIBATION AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
IYA OGUNJOBI, NNEKA NNAMDI
Libation and land acknowledgment are central to the work of the Black Canni because they ground us in memory, place, and responsibility. Pouring libation honors the ancestors and legacy operators whose sacri ces preserved the healing traditions of cannabis through prohibition. Land acknowledgment acknowledges the Indigenous peoples whose stewardship of the land and plant medicines predated colonial disruption. Together, these practices connect our convenings to a deeper lineage of repair, reminding us that the work of cannabis justice is not only economic but also spiritual, cultural, and ancestral. At the Black Canni, we begin with these rituals to ground our collective journey in gratitude, truth-telling, and a commitment to healing both people and the land.
Nneka Nnamdi is the founder of Fight Blight Bmore and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Stop Oppressive Seizures (SOS) Fund. An engineer, artist, Iya, and social design entrepreneur, she works at the intersection of technology, culture, and justice to dismantle structural inequities and build pathways for community repair. Through her leadership, Nneka advances strategies that confront housing injustice, combat blight, and cultivate sustainable, liberated futures for Black communities.
THE LIVING WELL MAURISSA STONE
The Living Well is a community “third space” for healing, cultural sustainability, and economic vibrancy. We incubate artists, healers, and social entrepreneurs; host circle work and liberatory learning; and connect neighbors to practical resources—training, mentorship, and opportunities that foster growth in both individuals and their communities.
The Black Canni is our social-justice, healing, and mutual-aid response to inequities baked into the cannabis landscape. It honors legacy operators, repairs harm through education and advocacy, and builds real pathways into the regulated and ancillary cannabis economy. Through circles, skill-building, and culturally rooted wellness practices, we o er community care, credible information, and resource navigation—so those most impacted can access healing, opportunity, and dignity.
Maurissa Stone is the founder and curator of The Black Canni and serves as the Director of Innovation at The Living Well Center for Social and Economic Vibrancy. A social entrepreneur and community curator, she creates spaces that center healing, cultural sustainability, and equity. Through The Black Canni, Maurissa uplifts legacy cannabis operators and builds pathways for Black communities to thrive in the cannabis economy. At The Living Well, she leads innovative strategies that nurture soulful expression, conscious expansion, and optimal wellness.
CIRCLE WORK
At The Living Well, we ground our community engagement in the indigenous power of Circle Work—an approach built on inclusion, shared voice, and attened hierarchy. Circles remove top-down authority, creating space for every participant’s wisdom to be honored equally, fostering trust, accountability, and authentic connection. This practice fosters stronger relationships, cultivates mutual respect, and builds resilience, aligning with our mission of promoting healing, cultural sustainability, and collective transformation.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
LEGACY
We honor legacy operators because they safeguarded the cultural and healing traditions of cannabis during prohibition, often at signi cant personal cost. The Black Canni provides a safe space for their stories, wisdom, and journeys to be recognized and respected. By o ering healing technologies and creating pathways into the ancillary and regulatory market, we support their transition, repair the harms of criminalization, and ensure that those who carried this work forward are included, empowered, and uplifted in shaping the future of the industry.
HONORING MATTHEW RICE AKA MATEAO BLU HUSBAND, FATHER, SON, BROTHER, FRIEND, SCHOLAR, ARTIST, ATHLETE/SCHOLAR & PLANT MEDICINE HEALER
Matthew Rice, known artistically as Mateo Blu, (1982 - 2023) in Baltimore, Maryland. He carved out dual careers as an athlete and an artist, playing high school football and then serving as a linebacker/defensive end at Penn State, where he earned degrees in Integrative Arts and African American Studies. After a stint in the NFL and NFL Europe, a health crisis—a brain tumor and epileptic seizures—ended his football path. He pivoted entirely into his art, using his work to tell stories of struggle, resilience, healing, and community. Over time, he also became an advocate: mentoring youth, teaching art, and founding the Blu Art Foundation to give back. He passed away in 2023, leaving behind a legacy across sports, art, and advocacy of plant medicine. We continue to send our love and light to Annika and Nola, his wife and daughter.
STORIES OF RESISTANCE: CHANGA ONYANGO
Stories of Resistance uplifts the voices of legacy cannabis operators, creating a safe space for them to share their truths about the risks, costs, harms, and traumas of prohibition—while charting pathways toward healing, repair, and justice.
Ako Changa Onyango is a seasoned nonpro t and education leader with over a decade of executive experience in DEI strategy, organizational development, and program management. Recognized for driving growth, building high-performing teams, and fostering stakeholder engagement, he brings vision and compassion to every space he serves. An accomplished percussionist and vocalist with an international performance resume, Ako also advances community arts as a facilitator and cultural strategist, using music as a tool for education, preservation, and collective healing.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
ROLES AND GOALS OF MARYLAND CANNABIS ADMINISTRATION
TABATHA ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) is the state agency responsible for regulating both medical and adult-use cannabis in Maryland. Primary responsibilities include licensing and registering cannabis businesses, agents, patients, and caregivers; ensuring compliance through inspections; and educating the public, consumers, and stakeholders on laws, safety, and responsible usage.
Tabatha Robinson assumed the role of Acting Director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration, e ective February 19, 2025. Before that, she served as Executive Deputy Director of Economic Development and Acting Chief Equity O cer for New York State’s O ce of Cannabis Management, where she helped craft and implement social equity licensing policies. During her tenure in New York, more than half of the new cannabis licenses were awarded to social equity business owners, and over 90% of operational retailers held prior cannabis-related convictions.
POLICY AND POLICE
LAWRENCE GRANDPRE, LEADERS OF A BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE
“The enforcement of cannabis prohibition has long served as a tool of racial control—one that criminalizes Black bodies and communities under the guise of law and order. Policing, in this frame, does not simply uphold public safety; it enforces systems of inequality, surveillance, and punishment. True legalization without justice fails unless the harms of the past are addressed: removing stigma, freeing those incarcerated, expunging records, and investing resources and power in the communities most harmed.”
Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle is a grassroots think-tank in Baltimore that advances the public policy interests of Black people through youth leadership, political advocacy, and community-based intellectual work. Lawrence Grandpre is the Director of Research at Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), a grassroots think tank in Baltimore. He leads research and policy analysis focused on criminal justice reform, economic equity, and community empowerment. A writer, organizer, and cultural critic, Lawrence works to advance community-based solutions rooted in Black self-determination and liberation.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
EXPUNGEMENTS
SHYIA CLARK, MARYLAND VOLUNTEER LAWYERS SERVICE
The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) provides free legal assistance to Marylanders, including help in clearing criminal records that can create barriers to employment, housing, and stability. MVLS helps people with cannabis-related charges navigate record expungement, shielding, and pardons. Through outreach, legal clinics, and tools like their online expungement resource, MVLS makes it easier for individuals to remove cannabis convictions and access new opportunities in the regulated market.
Shyia Clark is the Workforce Project Coordinator at MVLS. Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
In that role, Shyia works on outreach e orts — connecting Marylanders to legal assistance for expungement and helping communities understand how pardons, record sealing, and expungement intersect to reduce barriers to employment, housing, and stability.
How to Expunge a Cannabis Record in Maryland
1. Check Eligibility
See if your cannabis charge or conviction quali es for expungement under Maryland law. Many possession and cannabis-related cases are now eligible.
2. File a Petition
Submit an expungement petition to the court in the county where the charge occurred. MVLS and other legal aid groups can help with forms and ling.
3. Court Review & Record Clearing
If approved, the court orders state and local agencies to remove the charge from your public record, helping you access jobs, housing, and new opportunities.
NAMING THE TRAUMA IS THE FIRST STEP IN THE HEALING PROCESS
TThe mass incarceration of Black people during cannabis prohibition left deep psychological wounds—anxiety, depression, grief, and generational pain. By acknowledging these conditions openly, we break the silence, confront the harm caused by the legal and judicial system, and begin to restore the mental and emotional health of our communities.
Dr. Henry Gregory is a clinical psychologist, educator, and healing practitioner dedicated to addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual impacts of trauma in Black communities. As a member of The Living Well Brain Trust, he brings expertise in culturally responsive mental health practices, trauma-informed care, and community healing circles. Dr. Gregory has worked extensively on issues of grief, resilience, and recovery, with a focus on the intergenerational trauma caused by mass incarceration, systemic racism, and the War on Drugs. His work uplifts pathways of collective healing and restoration rooted in culture and community.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
HEALING TRAUMA
DR. PAULETTE S. SMITH, MS, LCSW-C
Cannabis is emerging as a powerful tool for healing trauma, o ering relief for those living with PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, and other wounds caused by violence, incarceration, and systemic harm. Beyond reducing symptoms, the plant o ers pathways to calm, rest, and emotional balance, supporting harm reduction and restoring quality of life. In the cannabis landscape, true healing means pairing the plant’s therapeutic promise with safe spaces, equity, and community care so that those most impacted can reclaim wellness and wholeness.
Dr. Smith is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and founder of Paulette Simone & Associates and Canna Heals. With over a decade of experience in adolescent and family mental health, Dr. Smith specializes in integrative wellness, trauma-informed care, and cannabis therapeutics. She holds a Doctorate in Social Work, a Master’s in Social Work, and a Master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Dr. Smith is also a course developer and adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Committed to equity and education, she empowers individuals and communities through holistic mental health services, clinical training, and accessible cannabis education.
ANCIENT HEALING TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESTORATIVE PRACTICE
Ibrahim Turay
Practices such as Qigong, Tai Chi, and Agnihotra draw on ancient healing techniques that calm the nervous system, restore balance, and cultivate mindfulness. By slowing their breath, moving with intention, and connecting to natural rhythms, these traditions can help mitigate the e ects of toxic stress. As restorative practices, they not only support individual healing but also strengthen collective resilience, o ering pathways to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit.
Ibrahim O. Turay is a master teacher and professional educator in Baltimore, with over 25 years of experience in West African percussion, traditional Tai Chi, and Qigong. He is known for creating safe, encouraging learning spaces for beginners, helping them build con dence and foundational skills in both music and movement. Ibrahim also works in formal education settings, sharing his expertise in mindfulness, rhythm, and embodied practice via schools and community programs.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
PATHWAYS INTO THE ANCILLARY AND REGULATORY MARKET
Pathways into the ancillary and regulatory cannabis markets are essential to ensure equity, inclusion, and opportunity for Black communities most harmed by prohibition. Ancillary businesses—such as technology, marketing, agriculture, wellness, and real estate—o er accessible entry points that do not require direct plant-touching operations. At the same time, the regulatory market provides opportunities in cultivation, processing, and retail.
Maryland O ce of Social Equity (OSE) was established to ensure that communities most harmed by the War on Drugs can access real opportunities in the state’s regulated cannabis industry. Its role is to guide equity-centered policies, support applicants from communities disproportionately impacted by systemic barriers, and expand pathways into ownership, employment, and ancillary markets. The O ce’s goals include repairing past harms, fostering inclusive economic growth, and creating a fair, sustainable cannabis ecosystem where equity is the standard—not the exception.
Upling LLC is a cannabis innovation company dedicated to building equitable pathways in the regulated and ancillary markets. The company focuses on developing technology-driven and community-based solutions that support entrepreneurs, consumers, and legacy operators in navigating the cannabis landscape. With a commitment to equity and sustainability, Upling helps bridge the gap between opportunity and access in the emerging cannabis economy. Colin Fraser is the founder of Upling LLC, bringing a vision of equity, innovation, and community empowerment to the cannabis industry. With a background in business development and a passion for creating fair access, Colin leads Upling in building tools and strategies that support underrepresented entrepreneurs and consumers. His work is grounded in the belief that cannabis should be a catalyst for wellness, opportunity, and generational wealth.
87 Walnut is a minority-owned cultivation center founded by Corey Sorrell and Alan Garlic. 87 Walnut They specialize in hydroponic cultivation methods that allow precise control over nutrients, water, and light, aiming to produce high-potency cannabis consistently. Their mission emphasizes sustainability, innovation, and environmental responsibility.
Green Guard is the rst licensed medical cannabis courier in Washington, D.C., and also identi es itself as a social equity company. Green Guard. Their services include delivering cannabis from licensed providers/dispensaries to consumers, and they seek to uplift communities through socially equitable practices in their business operations.
DAY 1 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Baltimore Unity Hall – 1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
Saturday, October 4 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Kaminisha Wellness
Trevor Nigel Lawrence is the CEO of Kamnisha Wellness and a seasoned professional with decades of experience in healthcare and mental health. His work has always centered on sustainable wellness, and when California advanced cannabis regulation, Trevor saw an opportunity to bring healing and education to underserved communities. After completing the Oakland Equity Program, he launched Kamnisha Wellness, a company specializing in custom organic topical oils that support pain management, energy, and overall health. Through his enterprise, Trevor continues to advocate for accessible education and the vast healing bene ts of cannabis
City Weeds
City Weeds, founded by Dr. Dominic Nell, is a social enterprise that transforms vacant lots and underused spaces into hubs for health, healing, and sustainability. Through urban farming, nutritional education, and wellness programming, City Weeds o ers fresh produce and plant-based products while addressing food insecurity and fostering community empowerment.
Piedmont Hemp Co. is a Black-owned agricultural enterprise dedicated to cultivating high-quality hemp while preserving Black landownership and farming traditions. Co-founded by Keith & Tasha Parker, the company provides education, resources, and pathways for farmers—especially in the Carolinas—to enter the hemp industry. Its mission is to use hemp as a tool for economic empowerment, sustainability, and intergenerational wealth.
BUILDING BLACK CANNI FUTURES IDEATION CLOSING
Led by Baltimore-based Futurist Jason Harris of the BlkRobot Project, the Living Well Braintrust will guide attendees through a data-driven Afrofuturist building exercise that will empower attendees with a living document that provides a road map to utilizing long-term thinking to build cooperative work relationships, generate business opportunities, nd resources, and position our businesses in a world market. The time is now to think forward - there is no need for us to be outorganized.
DAY 2
DAY 2 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Harlem Theater – 614–618 N. Gilmore St., Baltimore, MD 21217
Sunday, October 5 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
LIFE (HEALING IN PRACTICE)
The objective of the Black Canni (Day 2) Life is to move from dialogue to embodiment—translating legacy wisdom into everyday wellness. Participants learn how to safely integrate cannabis and indigenous healing technologies (breath, movement, sound, tea rituals) into personal care plans; build community support for pain, anxiety, cancer, and autoimmune management; and connect to tools and pathways that sustain health, dignity, and economic resilience.
LIBATION AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE HARLEM THEATER
The Harlem Theater
The historic Harlem Theater, located in Baltimore’s Upton community, is a cultural landmark that once served as a cornerstone of Black entertainment, community gatherings, and social life. Its legacy represents both the creative brilliance and resilience of Black Baltimore, making its restoration an act of cultural preservation and community repair.
Angela Francis, a dedicated Baltimore resident and social impact entrepreneur, is the buyer of the Harlem Theater. With a vision rooted in restoration and community empowerment, she is committed to reactivating the space as a hub for cultural expression, economic opportunity, and neighborhood revitalization. Her work honors the theater’s historic signi cance while reimagining its
TEA TIME
INE SAKA
Tea Time led by Ine Saka is a cannabis tea ritual designed to nurture body, mind, and spirit. By combining infused cannabis tea with sound healing, mindfulness breathing, and gentle yoga poses, this experience provides participants with a restorative pathway to balance, presence, and inner peace.
Ine Saka, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC is a double board-certi ed Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, founder of Empathy Healthcare Solutions and the Empathy Wellness Center. She integrates traditional medicine with natural wellness practices, emphasizing the gut-brain connection and holistic healing. Through her nonpro t, Maternal Village, she provides trauma-informed, culturally grounded care for youth and families.
DAY 2 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Harlem Theater – 614–618 N. Gilmore St., Baltimore, MD 21217
Sunday, October 5 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM LED BY JESSICA LEWIS,
MS, BSN, RN
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is the body’s natural network of receptors that helps regulate mood, memory, pain, appetite, sleep, and immune function. This circle, led by Nurse Jessica Lewis, explores how cannabis interacts with the ECS to support balance, healing, and overall well-being.
Jessica Lewis, MS, BSN, RN, is a Registered Nurse with over eight years of ER and surgical care experience, blending clinical expertise with a passion for patient advocacy, cannabis education, and sustainable development. A Marine Corps veteran and mother of two, she draws on her personal journey with chronic pain to champion access to alternative therapies. She serves as Board Secretary for the Minority Cannabis Business Association. Jessica also founded Structurally Sound & Co., advancing hemp-based construction to promote equity, resilience, and healthier communities.
CANNABIS AS A LIFESTYLE: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR EVERYDAY HEALING
DR. PAULETTE S. SMITH, MS, LCSW-C
This circle explores cannabis as an integrated wellness practice—beyond “as-needed” use—tailored to real-life concerns like pain, anxiety, sleep disruption, treatment side e ects, and symptoms related to cancer and autoimmune conditions. Dr. Paulette Smith will ground the conversation in the endocannabinoid system and o er practical, evidence-informed approaches to dosing, product selection (THC/CBD/CBG ratios, terpenes), and timing (day vs. night protocols) to support function and quality of life.
Dr. Paulette S. Smith, MS, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and founder of Paulette Simone & Associates and Canna Heals. With over a decade of experience in adolescent and family mental health, Dr. Smith specializes in integrative wellness, trauma-informed care, and cannabis therapeutics. She holds a Doctorate in Social Work, a Master’s in Social Work, and a Master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Dr. Smith is also a course developer and adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Committed to equity and education, she empowers individuals and communities through holistic mental health services, clinical training, and accessible cannabis education.
DAY 2 | AGENDA BREAKDOWN
Harlem Theater – 614–618 N. Gilmore St., Baltimore, MD 21217
Sunday, October 5 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
CANNABIS AT THE END OF LIFE: COMFORT, DIGNITY & PRESENCE
ACILITATED BY A SOULFULL JOURNEY, LLC —
CHARMAYNE “AYOBUNMI” TURNER, END-OF-LIFE
DOULA
This circle o ers compassionate, practical guidance on how cannabis can support end-of-life care—easing pain, anxiety, nausea, appetite loss, and sleep disruption while honoring personal ritual, culture, and family needs. Participants will learn ways to discuss cannabis with care teams, create simple bedside protocols, and weave breathwork, touch, and sound into comfort plans. (Educational only; not medical advice.)
Charmayne “Ayobunmi” Turner is a death doula, end-of-life planner, Reiki energy healer, and budding herbalist based in Baltimore. Trained at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and guided by ancestral wisdom and lived experience, she founded A SoulFull Journey, LLC, to integrate emotional, spiritual, and physical care for individuals and families. Her work centers on dignity, respect, and peace through life’s nal transition.
COOKING WITH FLOWER
FACILITATED BY SOUL CAKES
Learn the essentials of infusing cannabis into sweet and savory recipes—without overpowering avor or dosage. This hands-on circle covers decarboxylation, making infused bases (butter, ghee, oils, honey/syrup), simple dosing math (mg per serving), terpene-friendly techniques for baking temps, and safe storage. Leave with a exible infusion template you can use for cookies, cakes, dressings, and more. (Educational only; not medical advice. Start low, go slow.)
JOYFUL RETURN: CANNI & BREATHWORK JOURNEY
FACILITATED BY CHARLOTTE JAMES & JEVON HAMLET
A ceremonial space for collective healing and cultural reclamation, pairing Sacred Herb (Canni) with somatic breathwork to access embodied presence, softened hearts, and ancestral wisdom. Guided practices honor Canni as a master plant teacher—centering ritual over commodi cation—and invite deep connection and expanded consciousness. Rooted in healing justice, this circle addresses intergenerational trauma and a rms the right of Black and Brown communities to reclaim sacred practices within their community.
Charlotte Duerr James — Educator, therapeutic coach, and initiated Medicine Woman of Afro-Caribbean and Germanic lineage. With 15+ years working with Sacred Earth Medicines, she’s apprenticed in Kambo, is a Mbanji initiate, and has facilitated hundreds of ceremonies—building communities rooted in collective liberation and deep healing.
Jevon Hamlet — Breathwork facilitator and Respiratory Care Therapist (since 2006, Johns Hopkins Hospital), whose lifelong asthma shaped his vocation.
Over two decades across emergency, ICU, pediatrics, neonatal, geriatric, and home care, he re ned his whole-person approach; during the pandemic, he trained with Alchemy of Breath and now shares accessible breath practices with the community.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
•The Black Canni is open to all, regardless of race, and is committed to walking a path of radical love & liberation.
•Please remain with the circle during the discussion circles
•Dress comfortably for movement and stretching.
•Day #2 Bring a blanket, yoga mat, and/or cushion (limited mats provided).
•Please refrain from using phones or smart devices during circle discussions.
• The registration for Day #2 includes a donation blend of herbs (mint & mullein) and owers, designed to elevate the immersive experience.
Music in the Black Canni Landscape
Music is central to the Black Canni experience because it carries memory, culture, and healing. Just as cannabis has been used for ceremony, resistance, and restoration, music provides the rhythm and vibration that reconnects us to our roots, uplifts our spirits, and unites our communities. In Black Canni spaces, music is not just entertainment—it is a healing technology and cultural archive that a rms our joy, resilience, and collective power.
DJ Afr0delic
Yolovia “Lovi” Wright-Kerr, also known as Afr0delic, is a Caribbean-raised, Baltimore-based multidimensional creator and DJ who crafts Afro-surreal soundscapes that reawaken ancient connections within and beyond the African Diaspora. Known for seamlessly weaving Bmore Club, Dancehall, House, Afrobeat, Amapiano, Funk, Disco, Reggae, Soca, Soul, Hip Hop, Jazz, and more, Afr0delic brings expansive sonic journeys to every gathering. Inspired by the consciousness-expanding energy of Parliament-Funkadelic, Afr0delic has performed across the DMV, headlined Artscape 2025, and taken their sound international to Etno Beach Club in the Dominican Republic. They serve as resident DJ for Bmore Black Mall, The Baltimore Scene on WEAA 88.9FM, and the Resurrection Soul Libation open mic—holding space as a true Sound Sourceress.
THANK YOU FOR POWERING THE BLACK CANNI
To our supporters, partners, and steadfast believers—thank you for walking your talk on equity. Your love, labor, and resources are fueling a restorative movement that honors legacy operators, opens real pathways into the regulated and ancillary market, and centers healing technologies for our communities.
We’re grateful to our sponsors and donors, Brain Trust and facilitators, community partners, volunteers, vendors, media allies, and every attendee who showed up with intention. This is collective work. This is collective power.
