Getting to Know the Engineer Gone Cannabis Advocate Behind the Revolutionary Extraction Method
Following a severe head injury in 1997, Rick Simpson turned to cannabis after traditional medicine failed him. The oil he created proved beneficial; not only did he find relief in the plant, but he also found its topical use to help cure his skin cancer. Since then, he’s become a household name. His extracts, known as RSOs, have helped countless people worldwide find hope and healing in the plant’s properties.
We spoke to Rick about his journey so far. Here’s what he had to say:
The Emerald Magazine: How did you develop your methods of producing medicinal extracts from cannabis, and how did you know the proper way to use this medication?
Rick Simpson: I am a power engineer by trade and therefore, I had a great deal of experience working with many different types of equipment. So, developing my own methods to remove the medicinal resins from the bud material of the cannabis plant did not prove to be very difficult. About a year after I suffered my head injury, I discovered that just smoking cannabis was much more effective in treating my condition than anything the medical system was supplying. Though smoking cannabis did provide me with at least some relief, it simply did not have the healing power required, which would allow me to function normally.
Since to some degree, smoking cannabis had proved to be beneficial, I began to wonder if the essential oil from this plant might be the key to giving me the relief I required. So, in 1999 I produced my first medicinal cannabis extract. Since it was a very strong concentrate, I was somewhat fearful to put it to good use, because I thought that something of this nature may indeed present a danger. About three years after producing this extract, the medical system told me that they had no solution to my medical problems, so I was now on my own.
Having nowhere else to turn, I then began to ingest small doses of this extract and I continued to increase my dosage. The positive medical effects I experienced, and the harmless nature of this medication, provided me with the solution I was looking for. Since the use of these extracts had proved to be non-addictive and did not present a danger, I began to supply cannabis extracts to others who were suffering with a vast array of medical problems. The results these patients achieved, and the amount of extract they required, then made it possible for me to develop the protocol, which I brought to the public’s attention on my website, PhoenixTears.ca.
Emerald: A few years ago, it was predicted that your name would become widely known, now that this has taken place. How has this impacted you?
RS: The main upside to my efforts I have seen thus far concern the fact that many are now using my information to heal themselves, and countless individuals worldwide are now aware of this plant’s amazing healing powers.
Emerald: Tell us about the challenges you have faced since going public.
RS: First, I had to face the fact that the government of Canada, much the same as many other governments worldwide, is corrupted to the core. Instead of welcoming this sensible solution to most of our medical issues, the Canadian government chose to persecute me and tried to prevent the public from learning the truth. In addition, the mainstream media also did everything possible to discredit my work. This has made it very difficult for me to achieve my goal of informing the public. I also had to deal with all the negative propaganda regarding the use of this plant that people everywhere had been exposed to.
Though this propaganda was based on nothing more than a pack of lies, I found that a great number of individuals could simply not accept the truth. Therefore, if this knowledge was ever to be made public, the only way I could accomplish my aims was to fund this crusade myself. To the present day, whatever funding I have available goes right back into this cause.
I think it can only be said that fighting for the natural right of us all to have free access to this natural life saving medication has certainly taken its toll on my life…
Emerald: Why do you provide all your information for free?
RS: Our current medical systems are doing little or nothing to help anyone, and it appears that they are only interested in turning vast profits. I felt that the public deserved an alternative to all this medical madness, which can actually help them deal with their medical issues in a sensible, inexpensive, non-addictive manner. I decided that the greatest number could only be reached if I provided all this information for free. I also went on to provide these extracts to patients at no cost to achieve this same purpose.
Emerald: Why did you not patent your process, especially now when there are so many copycats or criminals online who claim to be you?
I simply don’t have the funding required to put a patent in place. Even if I had tried to do so, I am quite certain that my application would have been rejected anyway. It disgusts me that so many of those who have criminal intentions towards the sick and suffering are now using my name to enable them to supply low quality extracts to the public. Protecting my name would require a great deal of money, which as of yet, I have been unable to acquire. For years, I’ve openly warned the public about the activities of all these con artists. If these individuals were actually supplying the public with the highest quality extracts possible, there would be no need for them to use my name at all, since the healing powers of properly produced cannabis extracts will make their own reputation in a very short time.
So once again I am warning the public to avoid doing business with those who are using my name, since a great number of them are simply using this ploy to steal your money.
Emerald: You developed RSO as a treatment and ultimately you were successful in curing your own cancer. What are some of the things you’ve learned about its use since you first developed these extracts?
RS: At first, I had trouble comprehending that there was any medication on earth that actually could be looked upon as a cure-all. But after providing these extracts to thousands of people who were suffering with a great number of severe medical problems, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no more effective or safer medicine on this planet to treat any condition.
It’s only through ignorance and corruption on our government’s part that has allowed the use of this natural lifesaving medication to remain prohibited and lay dormant and neglected during the last several decades. For 25 years, I worked in the medical system myself as an engineer and I saw first-hand, the inability of the drugs and treatments which doctors employed, to be of much help to anyone.
Doctors tell those who are suffering from serious diseases, such as MS, terminal cancer, or AIDS, that their conditions are incurable and the only thing they can try is to manage their symptoms with the use of pharmaceuticals. Treating patients in this manner certainly produces large profits for the drug industry, but it does little or nothing to ease the suffering or save the lives of these individuals. The public must come to realize that there is a much safer and more sensible solution to serious medical issues, other than what is being offered by our current medical systems.
For once the medical use of cannabis extracts come into play, I have seen many patients who were deemed to be incurable by the medical system, return to a state of good health. So never let anyone in a white coat try to convince you that you are in a hopeless state of health. With the use of high quality medicinal cannabis extracts, you will probably find that your condition can at least be controlled effectively. Also in a high percentage of cases, patients who were suffering with life threatening conditions now claim to have been completely cured, and much like me, they have the evidence to back these statements up.
Emerald: Can you tell us the names of some of the strains you’ve had success with?
RS: Those who are interested should go over the information available on my website, PhoenixTears.ca. […]. To produce these extracts properly, one should always use the bud material from sleepy sedative indica varieties, which contain THC levels of 20 percent or more.
I have experienced wonderful results with the use of 100 percent pure indica strains. But if for some reason a pure indica strain with the proper characteristics is not available, one might also consider the use of an indica/sativa cross, which contains 90 percent indica genetics. At present, there are so many different individuals and companies supplying seeds on the internet and elsewhere that often, this makes it very hard to decide where one should turn. Therefore, I would also advise the public that, if possible, they should try to purchase their seeds from the same company who had originally brought some of these well-known medicinal varieties out. This should help to ensure that you will be able to obtain high quality medicinal seeds, which can grow plants that have the right healing qualities. When the life of someone you care about is on the line, only the best will do.
Emerald: What qualities make RSO and what distinguishes these extracts from others?
RS: The term Rick Simpson Oil or RSO simply means that these extracts are the highest quality medicinal cannabis extracts possible. This is what sets them apart from all the others.
In reality, I never wanted this term to become popular, but my late friend Jack Herer was the one who coined it. Even though I made it clear to Jack that I considered this substance to be hemp oil, Jack still continued to call it Rick Simpson Oil. Due to all the respect that Jack commanded in the cannabis movement, others soon began to use the same term as well, so Jack Herer himself is the man who made this term popular.
Emerald: Tell us about your books.
RS: I have published two books on this subject, “The Rick Simpson Story“ and “Rick Simpson Oil — Nature’s Answer For Cancer.“ At present, I am now working on my third book.
“The Rick Simpson Story“ describes how I discovered the healing qualities of the cannabis plant. It explains to the public the corruption that one must face when trying to introduce something, which would be of great benefit to all mankind. Although I discussed the treatment of many diseases in this book, it seemed the public wanted to know a great deal more. So we put together “Natures Answer For Cancer“ to fulfill this role.
My books do not pull any punches and I have openly named everyone who has stood in the path of this plants’ medicinal use. If you really wish to learn what is wrong with our world, I think you will find the answers to these questions between the covers of the books I have written.
Last year, my wife Danijela started her own publishing company, Simpson RamaDur. “The Rick Simpson Story“ has been translated into Spanish, and “Nature’s Answer For Cancer“ into German. In the near future, we are planning to publish my books in Italian, Polish and Hebrew. My books are being translated into many different languages with one goal — to spread the knowledge about the healing abilities of cannabis oil.
Emerald: You moved to Europe in 2009; could you tell us about your decision and how cannabis is regarded there?
RS: During the seven years I have spent in Europe, I have always found that for the most part, the people of Europe are much more open minded about the medicinal use of this plant. In 2013, I spent many months in Canada, but due to the corruption of the Canadian government and the apathy of the Canadian people themselves, I could no longer bear to remain in my own homeland. Therefore, I boarded a plane in early November 2013 and I returned to Europe, where I had found attitudes to be much more favorable towards the medicinal use of this plant. I still have grown children living in Canada and since I do not look at this country as being a decent place to live any longer, I plan to resettle my children in another country elsewhere, in which they can at least find some freedom…
Emerald: How has your perspective of cannabis evolved since you developed the oil?
RS: After seeing this plant’s true healing abilities, I have come to regard the cannabis plant as being one of the few things on this planet that is actually worthy of worshiping. For not only can this plant heal our bodies, it can also provide a rational solution to most of the other serious problems mankind is currently facing. In addition, cannabis can provide our species with a much more sensible and sustainable future; is this not what we actually want for our children?
Therefore, I think it’s just about time that we all got together and forced our governments to repeal these absurd laws, which are still causing so much suffering and death worldwide. It’s time for us all to realize that if left to their own devices, our corrupted governments would never willingly help anyone but themselves. So, if the changes needed are to come about, it will be we the people who will make this come to pass. Indeed, it is our duty to coming generations to bring this about as quickly as possible.
For More Information, visit PhoenixTears.ca and SimpsonRamadur.com
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