Finding A Job After A Cannabis Conviction, Not Easy, But Not Impossible: Veteran Shares His Story

Have you ever thought about how difficult it is for someone with a criminal record to get a job once they've paid their debt to society? 

Here's an interesting case to ponder: One man, who happens to be a military veteran, was convicted of a non-violent offense related to a plant, which is now fully legal in 24 states. 

Meet Mario Ramos, who is now a cannabis cultivator, activist, artist and researcher at NisonCo, the first cannabis-focused PR, SEO and marketing firm in the country that recently celebrated 10 years of successful operations. “Cannabis has been a part of my entire life,” Ramos told Benzinga, who said he was surrounded by it from a young age then finally tried it when he was 23.

“I worked around it professionally as a VIP Event Coordinator with High Times, which led me to the creation of my own houseware and lifestyle brand 'I Bud You',” Ramos said. “To this day, we still work together. More recently I was awarded an Adult Use Retail Dispensary License in New York and New Jersey which I have been working to open and bring to market.”

From Cocaine Cowboy Era To Enlisting With US Navy

Ramos grew up in New York City during “the cocaine cowboy era.” According to him, the Big Apple was a vastly different world back then. By the time he graduated high school, nearly everyone around him was getting arrested, addicted to drugs or dead. 

“The military seemed like my ticket out, and was actually a great escape from what I had been surrounded by. In comparison, it was a breeze,” he said. “During my time in the service I was deployed to Libya, Saudi Arabia and Iran. It was mentally and physically challenging but it was an honor and a privilege to serve our country.” 

Ramos enlisted with the US Navy when he was 19 and served four years before becoming a US Marine for 16 years.

From Hot Commodity To Creativity And Inner Calmness

While Ramos was first drawn to cannabis because he needed money but when he eventually tried it, it opened a new world for him. Ramos began selling weed and making deliveries as a courier as a way of his family that was struggling financially. 

When he began smoking marijuana at 23, he was surprised to see “everything was enhanced” – creating art, listening to music and eating. “I appreciate the cannabis plant for the healing effects, the creativity that sparks with use, inner calmness, and the community it creates.”

When he got out of the military, Ramos opened a graffiti store in the Lower Side called L.E.S. "Living Envious Styles.” This was kind of a hybrid hip-hop/graffiti shop that incorporated the five elements of hip-hop: music, dancing, clothing, art and lifestyle.

“Graffiti is in my blood,” Ramos said. “I was born into the most creative block in New York City. Rock Steady Crew, RCA, FBA, TNS Crew, and many other artists came from my neighborhood.”

For Ramos, combining art and cannabis is only natural, that’s why his art is almost exclusively dedicated to the plant. “Since 2010 I have included cannabis leaves in all of my art, including my iconic I Bud You logo.”

From Incarceration To Life Mission

While working for High Times, Ramos and his colleagues kept their eyes on possible cultivation sites at undisclosed locations. One routine visit to a site in New Jersey went awry when he was pulled over shortly after checking the plants.

The year was 2017 when Gov. Phil Murphey was first elected and his campaign promise was to legalize adult-use cannabis in his first 90 days. Plenty of legacy brands were gearing up for legalization and this particular grow site was one of them, but the cops had been planning a raid.

“With the combination of working with High Times, and living out of state I was considered a flight risk,” Ramos said, adding he was caught with $20 worth of cannabis. “I was detained for what I thought would be several hours or overnight, ultimately ended up serving a year and 55 days.”

He was finally released under the conditions of changing legislation with no supervision for two years, as an open case without sentence. Two years later, even though New Jersey voted to legalize recreational cannabis, the judge deemed the new legalization did not matter and sentenced him to seven years.

“With due diligence, the help of my family and The Last Prisoner Project we found the Intensive Supervision Program - essentially jail without walls. Once I applied and qualified, it granted me the opportunity to serve the remainder of my sentence in my own home, under 36 specific conditions.”

Ramos recently celebrated his first anniversary of being free, but freedom is not without challenges, the most significant being finding a job with a felony record. He applied and interviewed at 75 different places, out of which 60 said yes until HR found out about his non-violent cannabis charge.

“It wasn’t until The Last Prisoner Project put me in contact with NisonCo PR that I was able to become employed. I am beyond grateful to both for their help and support, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them and the work they are doing on behalf of the cannabis community.”

Now, Ramos’ life mission, along with the help of the Last Prisoner Project, is to free all cannabis prisoners.

“The mission is not complete until the laws are changed ensuring no one is imprisoned for a god-given plant,” he said. 

Courtesy photos