ANJA and ButACake Host the NJ Premiere of Kiss My Grass
ANJA
A Night for the Documentary Kiss My Grass
Some evenings are about more than a screen and a room full of seats. On Friday, November 7, ANJA teamed up with our friends at ButACake, with Green Lightning, to host the New Jersey premiere of the documentary Kiss My Grass. Neighbors, founders, and first-time festivalgoers filled the room for a film, a conversation, and a reminder of why community matters in cannabis.
About the Film
Kiss My Grass is a documentary directed by Mary Pryor and Mara Whitehead that looks at the impact Black and Brown communities have had on cannabis, and at the inequities that still shape who gets to own and operate in the industry. The film premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and has since screened at festivals including Urbanworld and the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival. It is narrated and executive produced by Rosario Dawson, and features founders and operators who have built businesses in a space that has often excluded women of color.
We will let the film speak for itself. What we can say is that watching it in a room full of New Jersey operators and neighbors gave it a different weight.
The Panel
After the screening, ANJA CEO and co-founder Julio Casado hosted a panel conversation about the film and about the road ahead for equity in cannabis. The discussion stayed grounded and honest, which is exactly the kind of room we like to hold.
Meet the people who made the night:
Julio Casado, CEO of ANJA. Julio is the CEO of ANJA, a licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary in Highland Park, NJ. He is a digital marketing and organizational development professional with over a decade of experience in management consulting, e-commerce, and B2B marketing, and is also Founder and Managing Partner of Full Funnel Growth Inc.
Matha Figaro, CEO of ButACake. Matha is a cannabis entrepreneur and business strategist with more than a decade in the food industry. As CEO of ButACake, she leads the overall strategy and direction of the company, and she has held a range of leadership roles across the cannabis industry, including co-founder and CEO of CannPowerment.
Suzan Nickelson, Founder and CEO of Holistic Solutions LLC. Suzan is the founder and CEO of Holistic Solutions LLC, New Jersey's first majority Black- and woman-owned cannabis dispensary licensed for both medical and adult use. A Rutgers University graduate, she also leads Ital Daughters LLC, a consulting firm supporting minorities, women, and veterans as they navigate cannabis regulation and entrepreneurship.
Alexandra Verello, Sourcing Manager at ANJA. Alexandra is a Rutgers alum and adjunct professor teaching controlled environment cultivation. A former New Jersey medical market cultivator of more than five years, she now leads sourcing for ANJA in Highland Park, bringing quality products to the storefront.
Why We Hosted It
ANJA is the first adult-use cannabis dispensary in Highland Park, and we are a minority- and women-owned business. Hosting a film like Kiss My Grass, alongside ButACake, is a natural extension of who we are. We would rather build a room where these conversations happen than talk about them from a distance.
Thank you to everyone who came out, to ButACake and Green Lightning, and to the filmmakers for the work.
If you missed this one, there is always a next time. Follow along on Instagram @anjapurp for upcoming events, and come see us in Highland Park, in store, by delivery, or at our drive-up pickup window.
This article is general education for adults 21 and older. It is not medical advice, and cannabis affects everyone differently.
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