Wellness Market Part 1: Philly Canna-community

There’s a wave of change happening across the east coast for cannabis and we’re excited AF. The future of cannabis is here. While being excited is great, being prepared for the shift is even better. As states throughout the northeast like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut legalize, neighboring states are contemplating making a move toward adult-use as well. Black Dragon Breakfast Club’s own home, Pennsylvania, is one of them.

There’s a new proposed bill called H.B.2050 that would decriminalize, regulate and tax adult-use of cannabis in Pennsylvania. We can proudly say this is a direct result of the small canna-community in the state coming together and expanding. We need more canna-community and entrepreneurs in the space, specifically Black and Brown people. Moving toward adult-use in the state of Pennsylvania would only expand the cannabis culture developing on the east.

BDBC Wellness Market

In the meantime, we’ll continue to build community, highlight folks doing the work, and change the perception of cannabis. In late September we had the pleasure of hosting Black Dragon Breakfast Club’s first Wellness Market in Philadelphia! There were businesses, talent, practitioners, food, and great vibes. The goal was to inspire total wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. In true BDBC fashion, this total balance of wellness included cannabis. There were mostly women entrepreneurs in attendance with a total of 15 vendors. And yes, we will mention there were only two male vendors and one white vendor because you should know how we get down on this side. In short, Philly’s canna-community is thriving. 

Music + Wellness

We couldn’t kick off the wellness market without music. They go together and adding ouid into the equation only amplifies the experience. We had a beautiful performance by the talented cannabae Veronica Hudson who goes by the stage name Hudson River. As a woman who is Black, queer, and incorporating cannabis as wellness, we decided to chat with her a bit more. We spoke about her start as a musician, cannabis for wellness, and feeling through music to name a few things. Here’s a portion of the mini-interview:

Dash: So your name's Veronica but when performing you go by ‘Hudson River’ where did that come from?

Veronica: Honestly it’s been my Instagram name from when I was 15. My last name is Hudson so it was kind of just a play on words. I like to be announced as Hudson River but as a person, call me V or Veronica.

Dash: Hudson River is dope as hell and I love that it was your Insta name since 15. Speaking of your insta, I stalked it (laughs) and was told by Tsehaitu that you’re a vibraphone musician. How did your relationship with instruments start?

Veronica: My relationship started at 9 years old. I wanted to do music in 3rd grade so I started with the flute. Becoming a vibraphonist started at 13. It’s too simple to say I have a favorite instrument or love all of them equally, they all have such beautiful and unique sounds. 

Dash: That’s really interesting, the way you described your relationship, not having a favorite but loving them all equally for different experiences you have with them. Speaking of music, with cannabis in mind, can you describe the significance of weed in your playing and/or wellness routine?

Veronica: Music has always been wellness for me, I was anti weed as a kid. Prom night I took my first hit of weed, we skipped the after party to smoke at my friends house (laughs). In-between deciding about the military at that time, I was smoking weed, I didn’t really wanna go, I had no therapy, it was self-medicating. It actually started as a group activity for me, my perception is so different from then to now. In college I started my own band called ‘Broken Vibes’. That was my first time playing under the influence. I felt like it was hard to focus at first then I was in my groove and we had a lot of great jams. The world is overwhelming as hell. It’s hard to find therapists being Black and gay, sliding scales etc. It’s necessary for me to have marijuana to self-medicate.

Dash: I feel you on the anti-weed upbringing. I was definitely a D.A.R.E. kid back then (laughs). Your story is really a testament to cannabis truly being an overall part of wellness. I like how you noted your relationship with the plant has changed too. It’s part of your self-care and expression now. What brought you to the wellness market?

Veronica: Tse hit me up so I was like ‘hell yeah, wellness!’ (laughs).  I liked her energy and voice. I knew she was serious and not tryna play me. I trusted her for some reason and music is so vulnerable. I will only work with people who feel pure. The body knows. 

 Women + Ouid + Wellness

Along with music we had a bunch of cannabaes in the wellness space show up. We had a great group of WOC-owned cannabis brands present and it was honestly refreshing to see more of us making our way through the space. So of course, as promised in our last article, we want to continue highlighting women in Cannabis byway of our new series ‘Women Ouid and Wellness’. We’ll only spotlight a few but feel free to check the rest out via our instagram @blackdragonbreakfastclub!

Culinary:

Cloud Cups (@cloudcupsdc)

Okay so picture your fav frozen treat + cannabis.. Exactly, genius. Cloud Cups is a mobile gelato shop serving infused artisan desserts. With 80 flavors and counting, you truly can’t go wrong!

Sunflower Spacecakes

Made with cannabis and love. Sunflower Spacecakes makes infused snacks, beverages, baked goodies and more. A local and Black woman-owned CBD company that cares about quality and customer experiences, we stan.

Agricultural:

Heavenly Herbs

Shoutout to all the women of color in cultivation! HeavenlyHerbs is a Latina-owned holistic cultivation company offering education and consulting services to first time growers. Offering digital and in real life resources around cultivating cannabis, you can choose your experience. You can literally learn how to grow your own medicine. 

Total wellness is necessary. There are multiple avenues to explore in finding a routine that works, taking care of our bodies, exercising our minds, and filling our spirits. We’re better when we’re better. Tap in with us about what wellness looks like for you and how you incorporate cannabis. We’ll catch you at the next market if you didn’t make it!