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 …