On Thursday, the New Orleans City Council approved a package of three ordinances to move the city as close as it can legally get to legalizing cannabis possession.

In 2016, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance to “decriminalize” cannabis possession, replacing possible jail time with a modest fine. Advocates hoped the tickets issued would not count as a conviction for purposes of collateral consequences — such as related to student loans and job applications. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.