Thanks to Lex Pelger and his wonderful newsletter for alerting me to this
A Louisville man said he was abruptly removed from his job by his parole officer because of potential exposure to THC. The man’s employer, the owner of Cornbread Hemp, said that isn’t possible and is demanding his former employee be allowed to return.
For the first time in his life, Eugene Waters said he was finally on the right track.
A year ago, Waters left prison and has been making strides ever since.
“I started off at the halfway house, worked my way through the halfway house, went to Goodwill, worked the Goodwill program. Did that for six months. Got my peer certification,” Waters told Spectrum News.
Waters said that last May, Goodwill recommended a job with Cornbread Hemp in Louisville.
The locally owned company makes CBD and hemp-derived THC products like lotions, oils, drinks and gummies.
The company is also considered a second-chance employer, offering jobs to formerly incarcerated Kentuckians. Waters started at $20 an hour.
“I worked my way up from living in a bad neighborhood to a good neighborhood, and I’m doing really good,” he said. “First time ever, since a juvenile, that I’ve been able to stay out of trouble for one year and stay out of prison.”
However, in November, Waters said his parole officer forced him to quit his job after working there successfully for seven months.
“Because this company is built on hemp, they had an issue with that, and they told me I had to quit working here, which essentially could make me homeless,” Waters said.
The CEO of Cornbread Hemp said the move to force Waters to quit is outrageous.
“I have spoken with Eugene’s parole officer and what I understood from her was a concern with the facility here and that Eugene might be exposed to THC at the facility with which he cannot be in his role as a dishwasher here,” Cofounder Jim Higdon told Spectrum News.
Waters worked in the gummy production kitchen, cleaning plastic molds with commercial dishwashing equipment. Higdon said he invited Waters’ parole officer to tour the facility to prove there is no risk of exposure of any kind. A tour did not happen.
“But coming here was never something they were interested in doing. All they were interested in doing is telling us that Eugene cannot work there; his last day is Friday, and before Eugene had another job lined up, he had to stop working here,” Higdon said.“But coming here was never something they were interested in doing. All they were interested in doing is telling us that Eugene cannot work there; his last day is Friday, and before Eugene had another job lined up, he had to stop working here,” Higdon said.
Waters’ case isn’t crystal clear. During his parole, Waters said he had previously tested positive for THC. However, that wasn’t the reason he was forced to quit, according to Waters and Higdon.
Spectrum News reached out to both the Kentucky Department of Corrections and the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. A spokesperson for JPSC confirmed they are familiar with Waters’ situation.
After initially telling Spectrum News that Waters was withholding pertinent information regarding his parole, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet now said, Team Kentucky encourages any stable employment that will help Kentuckians build a brighter future for themselves and their families.”
Higdon said that’s exactly what Waters had before being forced to quit.
“We are trying to help repair the damages caused by the drug war and give folks who have served time a second chance,” Higdon said. “And the state and the Beshear administration is not only making it more difficult but putting people in more jeopardy of falling out.”
He’s now calling on Kentucky’s governor to step in.
Waters was given three days’ notice to begin looking for another job. However, good-paying jobs are hard to find for the formerly incarcerated.
Waters said his younger self may have made the wrong choice after a setback like this but not now.
“That’s not an option for me to go back to prison. I don’t want to die in prison,” he said.
Since leaving Cornbread Hemp, Waters has been working temp jobs and making far less per hour.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections told Spectrum News they have forwarded our questions regarding Waters’ situation to the Division of Public Affairs. We are awaiting their reply.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Jim Higdon as the CEO of Cornbread Hemp. He is the co-founder. This error has been corrected. (Dec. 9, 2025)
