Unmasking Government Collusion and the Prioritization of Profit Over People
- May 15
- 4 min read
Nicolette Dalhamer is a trauma-informed recovery coach, speaker, and founder of Evolve 2gether LLC, who uses both lived experience and professional expertise to empower others to heal, grow, and break generational cycles.
I became a substance use counselor approximately 5 years ago for deeply personal reasons. However, despite my career, I too became collateral damage caused by the legalization and distribution of a “medicine” the government saw an opportunity to profit from.
I know what you might be thinking, painkillers. But you’d be wrong. It was medical marijuana. I believe what happened afterward was not only ignored, it was covered up.
The following is the 100% truth about what government regulated marijuana did to my body. Long before any of this, I knew addiction could destroy lives. My mom died from an Oxy overdose in March 2019, so from the beginning I refused opioids for pain management because I knew exactly where that road could lead.
I became a substance use counselor about five years ago for deeply personal reasons. I went into the work to help people avoid the kind of pain my family lived through. Yet I became collateral damage of a “medicine” the government and profit driven interests rushed to normalize and monetize.
You might assume I mean painkillers. You’d be wrong. It was medical marijuana. I’ve struggled with substances before, ecstasy, cocaine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and afterward a GeneSight test, I learned I’m an ultra rapid metabolizer. Everything made sense. I could consume more than most and still barely feel it. Biologically, I was predisposed to addictive tendencies.
In 2022, I was prescribed gabapentin for fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. At first it felt like a miracle. Then I gained 30 pounds, my depression worsened, and my sleep flipped. I eventually reached 2400 mg/day, and in late 2025 I stopped cold turkey. Once off it, I lost the weight and felt like myself again.
A rheumatologist then recommended opioids. I refused. Her last suggestion was medical marijuana, “God’s lettuce.” I didn’t object. In New Jersey, when medical use first became legal, I had a card but rarely bought from dispensaries because of the expense. A trusted friend connected me with someone who handcrafted products, and for two years of vaped oil use I had zero problems, no addiction, no side effects, improved pain and anxiety. I was a better mom, a better wife. I had my life back.
After moving from NJ to Ohio, I got my medical card and started buying exclusively from dispensaries. That decision cost me dearly.
I developed severe, relentless nausea and vomiting. I couldn’t eat. I lost ten pounds in a week and landed in the ER. Doctors initially called it Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS). A later visit was worse. Nothing they gave helped until a magnesium drip finally broke the cycle. A new doctor diagnosed Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) and warned that continuing cannabis use would likely cause recurrence.
I quit cold turkey. The withdrawal and anxiety were brutal. I tried alternatives, even low dose ketamine therapy, to avoid benzodiazepines, but I ultimately restarted Xanax to survive the anxiety. I used less than prescribed and never redeveloped an addiction, but the damage had been done.
What haunts me is this, none of this happened during two years of using non dispensary, small batch products in NJ. The crisis began only after I switched to regulated, dispensary products in Ohio. The only logical explanation I can see is contaminants, pesticides, additives, manufacturing residues, or processes used in large scale regulated production. Yet the conversation quickly focused only on “THC potency” or “addictive behavior,” while the possible role of contaminants, adulterants, or industrial processing was minimized or ignored.
This isn’t just personal misfortune. From where I stand, it looks like negligence, and worse, a cover up. The government expanded and regulated the market, and Big Pharma and profit driven companies rushed in with scale and supply chains that may have introduced harms we still don’t fully understand. The people who are sick and seeking relief have become collateral damage.
I am calling this out now. Government regulators, you must investigate the manufacturing practices, contaminants, and supply chains behind regulated cannabis products. Big Pharma and the corporate cannabis industry, you must be transparent about additives, pesticides, processing chemicals, and product testing. Patients deserve safety, accountability, and honest public health research, not silence or spin.
I am not alone. This is not merely a debate about legality or potency. It is about lives harmed by products that were presented as medicine. I want action, independent, rigorous investigation, mandatory, transparent testing and labeling, recall authority and liability when products cause harm, and funding for research into long term effects and contaminant driven syndromes like CHS.
I became a counselor to help people avoid addiction and harm. I never expected that seeking relief from chronic illness would land me in the ER and force me back onto medications I had once overdosed on to escape. I refuse to let this be ignored.
I demand accountability from the government and Big Pharma. Do the science. Enforce the safety standards. Compensate those harmed. Stop prioritizing profit over people.
Read more from Nicolette Dalhamer
Nicolette Dalhamer, Trauma-Informed Recovery Coach, Speaker, and Founder of Evolve 2gether LLC
Nicolette Dalhamer is a trauma-informed recovery coach, speaker, and founder of Evolve 2gether LLC, who turns lived experience into purpose-driven impact. After navigating her own journey through trauma and loss, she now helps others heal at the root level using a blend of holistic and evidence-based practices. Nicolette is deeply committed to breaking generational cycles and creating safe spaces for growth and transformation. Her work reflects both her professional training and her unwavering belief in resilience. She continues to inspire others through her writing, speaking, and coaching.
