Advocates and organizations praise the recent wave of 175,000 pardons by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, showing the importance of helping those with current cannabis convictions on their records.
Baltimore, Maryland-native Shiloh Jordan was originally pulled over by law enforcement for not wearing a seatbelt, according to an interview conducted by The Associated Press. The officer said that she smelled cannabis in his vehicle and used a piece of tape to discover “cannabis crumbs” on the floor. Jordan believes that she had picked up less than a gram in crumbs. “She was just like, ‘Yep, you’re going to jail,’” Jordan recalled. “I’m like what? Are you serious? At the time I did feel like, you know, it was just a petty weed charge. I’m like man, whatever, it’s a little petty weed charge. And then, like I said, just later on it was affecting me when I applied for a job.”
Later on, Jordan got a new job to start fresh, but they let him go due to conducting a background check and having a misdemeanor conviction on his record. “I felt defeated. I felt upset a little bit, you know.” Jordan said. “I was disheartened because, like I said, for the last couple months I did not have a job so… I was just trying to, you know, do the right thing.”
He persevered and took part in a job readiness program which led him to go back to school and play football in college. Now he works with the Baltimore-based Center for Urban Families, a nonprofit organization that assists local families.
Although Jordan was able to pave his own path, and became one of the 175,000 recently pardoned Marylanders will help so many people who are currently struggling. “I just feel like this is a big opportunity …
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Author: Nicole Potter / High Times
