Cannademix is holding its Unity III cannabis culture and advocacy convention on Sunday, May 25, 2025, at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford in Bergen County in North Jersey.
It will be held during Memorial Day Weekend from 12 to 7 pm between Big Snow & Legoland.
It’s completely free and open to the public. Individuals will need a 21-plus wristband to enter the outdoors cannabis consumption area.
Cannabis Convention at the American Dream Mall
Unity III will transform the American Dream Mall into a hub for public education, policy dialogue, and cultural celebration. The cannabis convention wants to highlight how far the Garden State’s cannabis community has come and where it’s headed.
“This isn’t just a cannabis event. It’s a declaration of progress,” declared Josh Alb, Founder of Cannademix. “We’re celebrating the plant, the people who fought for it, and the future we’re building together. To hold this space publicly, in one of the most visited venues in the country, is proof that normalization is happening.”
There will be over 30 brands and nonprofits tabling along with live music, wellness programming, and an arts exhibit. In addition, there will be a Paint and Puff held in the complex by Garden State of Mind.
When Cannademix held an event at the mall before, cannabis consumption was permitted outside on the parking deck roof.
It will be their third Unity cannabis convention.
Keynote Speech by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop
The Keynote speech will be delivered by Jersey City Mayor & Gubernatorial Candidate Steven Fulop after several panels.
He is one of the 6 candidates running to be the Democratic nominee for Governor and 9 overall. That includes the 3 Republicans running as well in the Tuesday, June 10th primary.
Fulop has a strong pro-cannabis record. There are more than a dozen dispensaries open in Jersey City and about 3 dozen more in the works. Legal cannabis consumption lounges might also be open soon.
The other Democratic candidates have fairly strong records as well. The only exception is Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) of Bergen County. He has not gone on the record supporting cannabis homegrow legalization.
The Republicans are not on record supporting the cannabis market fully, nor home grow.
Cannabis Convention Panels
There will be 4 panels about 40 minutes long each, beginning soon after the start of the conference.
The Future of Events panel will feature Garden State of Mind CEO Rui Pereira, Legacy to Lifted dispensary CEO Chris Broderick, and Baked by the River dispensary CEO Jesse Marie Villars. It will be moderated by Tia Planta Founder Shayla Cabrera.
As Heady NJ Editor & Publisher, I am going to moderate the Advocacy in a Legal State panel. It will feature longtime advocate & Heady NJ Columnist Chris Goldstein, NJ Homegrow Coalition Co-founder Andrea Raible, and Coalition Co-founder and Trichrome Analytical Chair & CEO Kristen Gooede.
The Legacy to Legal panel will feature Simply Pure dispensary of Mercer County CEO Tahir Johnson, Piff Coast Farms CEO Breeder Piff, and E.C. Dank CEO Kyle Page. It will be moderated by noted cannabis advocate and attorney Scheril Murray-Powell.
The Progress through Policy panel will feature NJ Cannabis Training Academy Executive Director Tauhid Chappell, Jersey City Ward D Councilman & Assembly primary candidate Yousef Saleh, and United Empowerment Party Co-founder Sephida Artis-Mills. It will be moderated by NJ.com Investigative Reporter Jelani Gibson, formerly of Cannabis Insider.
UNITY III is the anchor of Grass in the Garden. It’s a statewide campaign by Cannademix spotlighting the companies, advocates, and culture driving New Jersey’s cannabis industry forward.
(Full disclosure, this is part of a cross-promotional deal.)
