A former “chief propagandist” for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), now turned cannabis advocate, made startling comments at the recent Marijuana for Medical Professionals Conference in Denver, Colorado. There, Belita Nelson described what many of us suspected – the DEA is corrupt to the bone and full of lies.
“Marijuana is safe, we know it is safe. It’s our cash cow and we will never give up,” Nelson said to the audience of doctors and nurses, describing the actual modus operandi of the DEA.
Nelson represented the DEA in the international media from 1998 to 2004. She did regular appearances on the talk show circuit, including the Oprah Winfrey show and Nightline, espousing the dangers of cannabis. Today she advocates for its medical use, specifically in the treatment of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in professional football players through an organization she founded: The Gridiron Cannabis Foundation.
It didn’t take long for Nelson to realize that cannabis has medical benefits. In 2000, she was watching her close friend suffer from late-stage cancer, losing more than 50% of his weight and no longer being able to eat or sleep.
Being aware of cannabis’ ability to treat these symptoms, Nelson procured some for her friend, who, along with a better diet, was able to live nine more years. Nelson even grew the cannabis herself, knowing that black market products were potentially unsafe.
In 2004, Nelson was investigating a heroin epidemic in Plano, Texas and discovered that some addicts were kicking their opioid addictions by turning to cannabis. At this point she could no longer continue pushing propaganda for the DEA when it was clear to her cannabis was a life-saving plant.
Nelson resigned in 2004, and went out with a bang.
“[When they hired me] they forgot to get me to sign a confidentiality agreement—and boy did I know the dirt. They called me in and said ‘name your price, $10,000 a month? $20,000? What do you want Belita?’”
She said she left the office screaming, “You know this is safe and you are keeping it from people who are sick! I am not taking your money and you better worry about what I am going to say!”
Sure enough, Nelson turned her passion into something positive. She moved to Colorado and began advocating for medical cannabis. In 2014, she focused her energy on using cannabis to help treat CTE, setting up a holistic clinic with former Denver Broncos player Rick Upchurch.
CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma, kills many former football players. The Gridiron Cannabis Foundation hopes to convince the NFL to allow players to use medical cannabis to counter the onset of CTE.
Regarding her time at the DEA, Nelson has a succinct way to describe the agency.
If you think the DEA are the good guys, they are not. They are really not. We are talking corruption on steroids.
The DEA refused to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug last year when it had the opportunity, somehow concluding that ‘more research is needed’ to show cannabis has medical benefits. The only explanation for maintaining the absurd classification for this miraculous healing plant is to protect Big Pharma, which knows cannabis is a threat to their profits.
As we reported recently, DEA continues to tell 25 lies on its website about the purported dangers of cannabis, even though they refuted these very lies in 2016. This willful deception is in violation a federal law called the Information Quality Act.
The DEA is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of freedom and health. It is abundantly clear that corruption and lies – not the interest of the American people – is what drives this agency to continue its tyranny.
Justin Gardner writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
Can’t be.
I call BS. Why wait 10 years? Another honest gov employee with an agenda /sarc
Of course DEA and FDA lies. All gov agencies lie. And their people lie to us. We stop evolving since 1913 with the advent of the federal reserve and faux capitalism. Since that time, we have been categorized as “slaves”….all of us.
This country is a joke and is run by criminals….pure and simple.
Get tired of hearing this BS, and realizing that change takes decades even with facts to support the change.
Long live global warming. Let’s waste more time and resources on another facade thrown upon the slaves.
Funny how they see the light.. AFTER.. they get out. Don’t want to risk any benefits!
She resigned, and not after completing the requisit retirement years… there are no benefits.
BUT, You do know that if You or I say this (or Free Speech to criticize any government issue’s) in a public venue, We will be arrested & will be shut down. I am getting very pissed off about it too ! How about You ?
God will prevail and free his plant, Jehovah gave to people is what I’ve heard.
Thanks for telling us what we already know.
It bears repeating. Some people are naive; others choose to pretend they are.
Government agencies lie?! I guess there’s fake news, fake government, fake nails, fake hair, and fake purses… Is anything true?
Move to Colorado and iimbibe for the health of it whilst watching gorgeous sunsets.
While watching Californians move in and try and turn a wonderful state into California, you mean?
If states were smart they’d prohibit Californians from moving in. They ruin every state they move into.
The DEA is completely infiltrated and controlled by the drug trafficking CIA to fight its turf war against the competition.
The HEROIN-trafficking CIA… who have had American troops guarding the Afghani poppy fields. One told Geraldo Rivera: “We don’t like it, but these are our orders.”
Dupes of federal anti-Cannabis propaganda, let that sink in, BUT GOOD! The CIA is part and parcel to heroin cultivation and smuggling, and if you think that heroin doesn’t make it onto American streets – where to you think the top end of that market IS?
Ever since (during) the Vietnam War, the CIA has funded their “black” (off-budget and therefore unaccountable) budget projects worldwide.
THE CIA IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST DRUG MARKETER.
“What would they do if we took this away”? So we go to Town and buy up all the little widgets they use to scrape the poppy, yea that works and back home in the USA we go around to all the stores and buy up ALL the rolling papers so they can’t smoke!!! YEP we smart!!
President Trump should disband the DEA as part of his “drain the swamp” agenda. Ms Nelson is brave to come forward, don’t ‘dis her for telling the truth.
Of course the DEA is corrupt. The question really is if there are as many as 10% honest DEA agents.
This is why in states with legal cannabis it was legalized by a popular initiative by the people, not by the state gov’t. The prison industrial complex makes WAY too much money locking up non-violent drug offenders and getting them into the legal machinery to be ground under the wheels. Creates a permanent underclass.
It’s disgusting with respect to cannabis since after 70 years of prohibition of all research, they want to bleat NOW that we “need more research” before we can legalize. That argument might hold water if they had not prohibited any research that might have shown it’s safe and effective.
Research me! I’ve been smoking for 42 years.
Just do what you want. These gov fucks are 20yrs behind and will say anything to justify their useless government job.