High Achiever Solonje Burnett: “Consumption Focuses on the Entire Ecosystem”
Have you noticed that everyone who works in the cannabis industry has at least two jobs? In the unpredictable world of weed, it pays to be versatile and passionate, which is why so many of us turn into multihyphenates. This month, we were lucky to grab time with Solonje Burnett, a three-time cannabis entrepreneur and our very own Weed Auntie. Solonje co-founded Humble Bloom and Erven, and she’s currently the Marketing Director at SASS. Below, she talks about her career, her cannabis routine, and how she’s uplifting her community.
Photo by Cindy Trinh
How long have you used cannabis?
I’ve used cannabis since college but didn’t integrate it into my lifestyle or make it a consistent part of my wellbeing practice until after graduate school.
How did you discover cannabis?
I grew up in the D.A.R.E times so “marijuana” was both demonized by the government and referenced as the devil’s lettuce by my Christian Grenadian mom. My household definitely saw plants as medicine but held high standards around what was acceptable behavior as a Black first-generation child of immigrants in a homogenous white predominantly Jewish New England suburb. The expectations for the first child born on mainland was to excel and lead by example, therefore I did what mom asked and said no to drugs.
Weed finally entered my life at the start of my junior year at Wellesley College after I suffered an injury while training for soccer season. My first year roommate suggested I use one of her homemade topicals for physical pain relief and flower for the grief that accompanied the end of my athletic career. I was a habitual user until a boyfriend made fanta leaf blunts an end-of-day ritual. The rest is herstory.
What’s your cannabis routine? How and when do you consume cannabis?
I’ve noticed that my cannabis routine shifts depending on what’s going on in my life as well as the people I’m around. When I was younger it was mostly utilized as social lube in my nightlife adventures. Now I have more of an intentional relationship with and understanding of it.
For me, consumption focuses on the entire ecosystem, from supporting queer- womxn- marginalized-founded cannabis brands to the varied modes of functionality. The cannabis plant is so multifaceted. It is used during my menstrual cycle with Daye’s hemp pads + CBD tampons to quell fibroid pain, as a hydration locking topical in oHHo’s full spectrum body oil, reducing inflammation with Thai Brooklyn muscle balm, ingested as a low-dose vegan beverage from SASS, and integrated into my collective healing work as a mindfulness practitioner, jumpstarting the day with a light puff or two accompanied by coffee or matcha (aka a hippie speedball), when sitting down to journal around the moon cycles, dancing on gummies at a day party, or wearing my hempsuit — showing off the sophistication and high vibrational healing power of the plant as a textile. Encouraging people to wear their weed! The plant is there for me however I need her in the moment. She tells me when it’s time to take a break and feel without her.
Photo by Cindy Trinh
Tell me a little about your job/company?
I facilitate conscious connection and community as the founder of Weed Auntie as well as at SASS, leading marketing + partnerships. Weed Auntie focuses on curating moments of plant-infused mindful connection and experience-centric education. My foray into eco-fashion launched in Spring 2025 with a limited-run, locally made hemp jumpsuit encouraging people to wear their weed. Centering the relationship between people, plants, and planet, I also have a programming residency at the NY Soho Houses and Moxy Hotels.
SASS is queer-, Latine-, womxn-owned, justice-involved cannabis and nootropic fungi confectionary brand from and made in New York. We intentionally craft products for women, femmes, queers, neurodivergent, and plant-curious people. Our offerings range from ingestibles like chocolate bars, gummies, capsules, and brews to topicals like bath bombs, lip balms, and body balm. In my role, I elevate our community in campaigns in the streets and online, build bridges through partnerships, and bring plant healing to our communities through activations, sponsorships, integration, gifting, popups, and more.
How does cannabis help you in your career?
This is a tricky question. I would never trade the community I’ve cultivated or the recognition I’ve received for working in the cannabis industry. Honestly, though, for many once you’re in cannabis, it’s hard to break away from the stigma still attached to it in many professional circles. Literally the plant has helped facilitate connection for me mentally, physically, and interpersonally. It’s helped to amplify my voice and given me a foundation and framework for activism against imperialist, white supremacist, patriarchal, militaristic, extractive unsustainable capitalist structures. The combination of cannabis and my Caribbean heritage have been the gateway to my advocacy and truth telling.
What do you wish more people understood about cannabis?
I wish people thought of cannabis beyond its intoxicating medicinal applications. Removed their culture-based bias to see how it's been used historically industrially. Check out the Who's Who behind the condemnation of a plant that should not be illegal for personal profit. Once they see that, I wish that we would do more research into the healing for women’s health, textile, building materials, biofuel, nutrients, etc.
What cannabis-related issue keeps you up at night?
The fact that some people are still being incarcerated for casual or spiritual usage. Legacy trailblazers are serving prison sentences for a product that others have corporatized and are making millions off of.
How is the New York City cannabis industry different than other cities and states?
There are a few things that stand out as uniquely NY cannabis. We attempted to prioritize social equity with the MRTA and focused on small business. Integration into experiences in spaces like hotels, restaurants, and membership clubs. This has been a personal and professional obsession since for the past seven years I’ve hosted plant-centered events from comedy shows to breathwork sessions, wellness days, weekend retreats, and dance parties across the city.
Photo by Cindy Trinh
