In a city like Baltimore, a visitor can immerse themselves in one of its many communities just by turning a corner. During the week, you’ll find Carlos Green Jr. out and about in the city and its suburbs engaging with these community members not because it’s part of his job, but because he wants to be a resource to someone who needs one.
“The people — that’s my thing, man. I hate seeing people that need stuff. Not want, but need something and having no access to it. It’s like the worst feeling in the world to me,” he said.
Growing up in east Baltimore, Carlos described his upbringing in a religious home as strict. His father has been a pastor for over 30 years, his mother is also a minister and he has five sisters. However, he said this dynamic helped to keep his family close.
“No secular music. Certain things we couldn’t watch on TV,” he said, describing life in his childhood home. “My mom, she’s one that worries about every little thing, so she kept us under her wing.”
Carlos attended a community school from kindergarten to eighth grade and then went on to attend Poly High School in Baltimore. After graduating, he attended Coppin State University with the intention of studying computer science and going into a cybersecurity career. But after experiencing some personal struggles while attending college, he made the decision to drop out and find himself a job.
“I had no clue what to do,” he said, adding that his first job during this time was delivering and picking up rental furniture. “You can imagine where my mind was at.” From there, Carlos said his list of odd jobs included delivering paint, preparing gourmet foods and delivering medication to someone’s front door, to name a few.
“It’s been a lot of nights crying and praying. That’s the stuff that people don’t see,” he said, reflecting on his journey of moving between jobs and different industries. “But you just have to wake up the next day and try to make it better.”
Currently he’s working as a community engagement partner for a medical research organization, leading a mobile unit around Baltimore to give free health screenings. If the patient’s condition fits the criteria for a certain medication, he said, the patient will be invited to take part in a clinical study. Being a people person, Carlos holds himself to the standard of giving the best experience to everyone he talks to during the day.
“It goes from overeducated to miseducated, from very reluctant to ready to say, ‘Let’s do it.’ It’s all types of people,” he said. “I know I’m helping people at the end of the day, and I enjoy that.”
Not long after leaving Coppin State, Carlos said he had tried Cannabis for the first time with some help from his cousin, who recommended smoking after hearing about his personal situation. He recalled that his cousin “initiated” him into smoking by punching him in the chest as he inhaled the smoke, saying that’s when he first “really felt it.”
In addition to using Cannabis as a means to help with his day-to-day routine and overall wellness, Carlos also uses Cannabis to help with epilepsy. He said the diagnosis was given to him later in his life, and after experiencing a range of small to more aggressive seizures, he realized Cannabis could help.
“It feels like a second,” he said. “My head would be spinning, I broke out into a really bad sweat, nausea.” He said with the help of Cannabis, one hit from a blunt or a bowl is enough to immediately stop the pain brought on by smaller seizures.
Carlos eventually got his medical card after getting his diagnosis and using Cannabis in a “strictly recreational” way for a long time, adding that he’s found it helps give him clarity if he finds himself overwhelmed with work or in need of something that gives him the focus to create solutions.
“If I can slow down just a little bit, it’s not all coming to me at once, and I don’t have to try to be Superman, and I can just take one thing at a time,” he said, preferring a tasty indica to smoke (his “absolute favorite” being Midnight Circus from Evermore).
With both of his kids in their 20s, Carlos impresses upon them the same tight-knit dynamic he had with his family growing up. Aside from teaching them to be there for each other, his discipline and dedication to bettering people around him, and himself, is what he hopes to see reflected in them.
“Do what you see me do, do the right thing by yourself and by other people. Don’t be a hindrance to progress.”
