Rick Simpson, with the exception of being Canadian, is very much like the other giants of modern cannabis you’ve seen and read about on other pages. An engineer by trade, Simpson reportedly hurt himself at work and began to research and grow medical cannabis to deal with his pain.
But Simpson quickly determined that pain relief was only a small part of what cannabis can do medicinally speaking. If you Google “who is Rick Simpson,” the first results that pop up are about Rick Simpson Oil and whether or not the rumors about it being an effective treatment for cancer are true. But Rick Simpson Oil, otherwise known as RSO, is not a commercial brand. It’s simply the oil that Simpson has clearly and carefully explained how to make without asking people for money.
While Lawrence Ringo’s contribution to medical cannabis is largely about the rediscovery of the CBD compound, Simpson’s hard work and research is about what’s called “full spectrum” cannabis medicine. Unlike some medicinal cannabis extracts, RSO has a high THC content. This is the psychoactive component in cannabis that many who now use CBD products are actively seeking to avoid. What Simpson has shown is that like CBD, THC also has powerful medicinal properties and capabilities. In fact many researchers now believe that the full power of medicinal cannabis is only activated when CBD and THC work together in concert. However, despite the promise of actual affordable medicine, or perhaps because of it, research like Simpson’s remains illegal at the federal level. Simpson himself has been brought up on criminal charges twice.
And in case you were wondering why some bottles of medical cannabis oil cost $40 while others cost $400 or more, the answer is simple- you generally get what you pay for. In order to create full spectrum cannabis medicine that works in multiple medicinal applications, you need plants that produce high volumes of THC in addition to CBD. These plants are more expensive to grow and also bring higher prices on the open market and that’s why CBD products are less expensive.
Rick’s story is page 163 in our new weed e-book: Cannabis: The Untold Story of our Greatest Plant. Only $14.95 for 210 beautiful and interesting pages. Looks great on phone, iPad or computer. Click HERE. Also check out our new website and YouTube channel. Click here.