My Experience with the Rick Simpson Oil

If your first thought after reading the title is: who or what is Rick Simpson and why do I care? Proceed ahead for you are not alone. The following is an introduction and reflection about my experiences with cannabis and specifically a product called the Rick Simpson Oil (RSO).

Starting as a seed, the marijuana plant grows into a seemingly infinite number of variations. Everything from the time it takes to reach full-grown adulthood to the smell to the looks are all relative. The type of strain, growing technique, and environmental conditions all play a role in how it turns out. Many baseline functions/elements stay the same across all cannabis types, but it’s important to note different strains serve different purposes. Some specifically aid with sleep while others help with energy and concentration. Once the plant hits the final stage of development, the ‘flower’ portion can be harvested along with a plethora of other uses from the rest of the plant, especially from hemp, a story for another day.

This oil extracted from the cannabis plant—which contains about 540 chemicals—also includes healthy fatty acids, terpenes, minor cannabinoids, and CBD (cannabidiol) in varying amounts. Each of the hundreds of identified terpenes has an effect and each cannabis strain has a unique terpene profile. The oil contains a very high percent of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) compared to flower resulting in a much higher concentration. General ranges are flower from 20% to 35% and RSO from 50% to 75%. These percentages can be lower or higher, but they represent the averages if you were to look at the data like a bell curve. If a significant level of CBD is included, then the percent of THC usually drops slightly below 45% to accommodate for its inclusion. More on that later. These numbers help indicate the strength of the product but are not absolute. A general rule of thumb is any extracts, including RSO or wax or sauce for example, are much more potent than flower or edibles.

THC is the main component of marijuana, the chemical that has the greatest effect on the mental state, best known for making a person feel ‘high’. Ongoing research has found the human body has a “built-in” system to process CBD (termed the endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short) and studies are continuing to find supporting evidence for its numerous benefits. It’s important to note cannabis consumption of any kind has the potential for negative side effects. No health detriments to date have been identified directly correlated with pure CBD. On the other hand, THC does not have a flawless reputation. I won’t cover them here because it’s a lot of additional information off-topic, but they can be mitigated. The method of delivery (one example being smoking) can also contribute to these side effects. More time is needed to find the evidence about exactly why side effects happen and what can be done about it.

About two and a half years ago I applied and received my medical marijuana card. By that time, I already had plenty of experience using cannabis in a recreational format. For eight years marijuana and I had an on and off relationship until I took a nine-month hiatus.

After feeling overwhelming symptoms from a mental illness, I felt it was time to try medical marijuana as a new approach to improve my quality of life and help deal with these problems. I followed the necessary protocols: the paperwork, consulting a doctor, and creating an account with my state’s Department of Public Health to enroll in their medical cannabis patient registry program. The whole process took roughly a couple months to get done. In the end, I got the card, and could now legally utilize cannabis as a medicine for dealing with PTSD.

My first time walking into a dispensary was surreal. To me it was a huge deal being able to walk into a legitimate store, purchase cannabis products, and walk out like it was nothing. People working there were friendly. I didn’t know what to expect but I remember feeling it was odd the employees were so nonchalant about it. It wasn’t a big deal at all like they were working at any other normal retailer selling any other normal product. They were chatty and offered recommendations and brief usage instructions on the items I picked up. Educational pamphlets were displayed near the door, and I grabbed every single one wanting to soak up as much knowledge as I could.

It wasn’t until two months and five or six visits later when I was introduced to the Rick Simpson Oil. Standing at the counter talking to an employee, we were discussing what other kinds of products were available. I was mostly taking average edibles like gummies or chocolate bars and occasionally smoking. We were looking at the product list and she mentioned it.

“Have you ever tried an RSO?”

“Huh? A what? No I haven’t.”

“It’s basically a concentrated oil that’s stronger than an average edible. It comes in a syringe—”

“No thanks.”

And that was that. We talked a little bit more and after checking out I went on my merry way. The fact it came in a syringe weirded me out. I knew nothing about it; nothing about what it even looked like. But at the time I judged it unfairly and dismissed it outright. How different could it really be?

A couple days after that a chance encounter with a random person who also had a medical card changed my perspective. We were talking about weed and the RSO naturally came up in conversation. Again, I was recommended it for the second time in a few days. Since I’m not a big believer in coincidences, I took it as a sign and embarked on a quest to learn more about it.

The internet, virtual overlord of knowledge and information, contained surprisingly little relatable wisdom. Descriptions on it contained more or less the same words wherever I looked.

It’s an oil. It comes from the cannabis plant. It has health benefits. So on and so forth. Nothing about personal stories and experience written by other people with PTSD. Nada about prolonged use. Zilch about a buying guide listing specific products in tandem with reviews of any significant depth. All my search results led to the same basic descriptions. A minor leap of faith was required to proceed. To try it, or not to try it? I decided it was worth it.

On the day I went to my local dispensary, there were nine or ten options available of the oil. As a point of reference, today that same dispensary typically carries one to five or six options on the best of days. This is a topic I plan on researching more, but I must at least partly conclude their prevalence, popularity, and/or production has gone down since then.

Luckily, the budtender I spoke with had more expertise and experience using the RSO compared to most. He told me for a lot of people it just isn’t their cup of tea, regardless of if they had even tried it or not. Although well-versed on the product, most days he stuck with the tried-and-true method, smokin’. It’s worth mentioning that flower is not the only viable method for the classic and most common type of consumption. The specific term is ‘dabbing,’ which is worth its own article in the near future.

The fact that of everyone I talked to, they all chose other things besides RSO as their main preference had me slightly concerned, but I wanted to find out for myself. I got the brief rundown on each of my options and ultimately decided on… Chunky Diesel. The name had a certain ring to it. Who wouldn’t want a little chunky diesel in their life?

When purchasing an RSO at a dispensary, they are usually classified/labeled by the brand (the company that makes that specific product), the strain the oil was extracted from, sativa or indica or hybrid status, percentages of THC and CBD, a terpene profile, price, amount, and more. Knowing what I know now, I can say easily one of my personal favorites is ‘Mint Chocolate OG’. Unfortunately, one of the downsides is there isn’t much consistency in product availability. It lasted me about a month before I ran out and I haven’t seen it around since. Sigh. Ok, moving on.

The product is contained in an oversized looking syringe contraption. You take off the cap and put pressure on the plunger to release the oil. When you’re first starting out, less is more. That’s the strategy I used. Originally, I was shocked at how little of it I needed to get the job done. And even after years plus with an established tolerance the dosage I take today isn’t anything drastically different from what I was taking after a few weeks of implementing this specific medicine. Today there is no shortage of articles written with recommendations on what amount to take. Each person is different, and you will find a wide parameter of suggestions. That being said, personally I can’t offer any advice in that department (dosage) because I just don’t know. Another problem is the difficulty in eyeballing/measuring exactly how much you’re taking. The weight is miniscule, I’ve never had a scale, and I learned early on to take pictures every time I took it, log extensive notes about my how I felt, then adapt and go from there. Different strokes for different folks. Everyone will respond in their own unique way. Simplified, it boils down to a game of guess and check. For people wanting to try out an RSO for the first time, this caveat of having to experiment for it to be most effective could be a major deterrent. At the end of the day it’s not as difficult as it sounds and once I got the hang of it, I never looked back. It was definitely worth the extra effort. Best advice I can give is a generalization: start low and go slow. Take your time with it. Enjoy the process. Give it a chance. Perceive it as a fun learning experience rather than a daunting challenge trying to get it right. Write down everything. On your phone the voice recorder will be your new best friend. Be ready to go with the flow. All of the above are suggestions I recommend because that's what I did.

The value from it in terms of spending money, not even exaggerating, is probably around ten times better than an average edible. In my opinion, it’s much better quality and provides a more specific and individually tailored medicine than the alternative. If I want to sleep better, there is an RSO to help specifically with sleeping better. It goes deeper than that, but this premise is only the tip of the iceberg.

Being thoroughly educated about it wasn’t a barrier to entry. For me I always felt like it’s just nice to know what I’m taking, what it does, and what it’s made up of. I learned as I went. The sheer amount of information—some of which remains unclear—is daunting. One step at a time. To this day I’m still learning.

With my new stash in tow, my day-to-day life changed. I really liked it. And most importantly it helped mitigate some of my negative symptoms including going days without sleep. I couldn’t understand why more people weren’t hopping on the bandwagon. The effects take hold quick and they last a long time. I found a simple and effective way to consume it by putting my dose on a mint. It’s most effective when taken sublingually and it’s the perfect combo. The taste is noticeable but nowhere near unbearable. A few hours after my day got started, I would take a dose of one type classified as sativa (the energetic kind) with a combination of CBD and THC. Some mornings and afternoons I would skip in favor of only taking it beyond the afternoon. I rarely felt like I needed it to survive, however, it did help immensely. At night, I would take a different type with a preference for indica (the calm, relaxing kind). There is much more to these categories than energetic vs. calm, and although vague, these adjectives cover the basics. Listed on the product is an ingredient list, but aside from the main ones I talked about, they are secondary and can be covered another time. I established a regimen dropping the regular edibles and exclusively taking a lineup of different RSO’s. Over the years I have tried somewhere in the range of 20+ unique products and 40+ total. That’s a conservative estimate. They have an excellent shelf-life and last for a solid amount of time.

Originally, I had planned to write one article about cannabis, specifically spotlighting the RSO. Halfway through I realized that isn’t nearly enough space to cover all my thoughts on the subject, let alone the topic of conversation addressed here.

I’ve decided to turn this into a series because of that. Each article I’ll talk about different cannabis related stuff and expand on what I covered here. In the next part I’m going to talk about a few specific RSO’s I’ve tried. Stay tuned for more. And check out this really fun obligatory disclaimer.

*DISCLAIMER*

For the sake of avoiding a conversation I’m not equipped to have, I will avoid speaking about my thoughts on claims regarding some of what the RSO can do, specifically the blanket statement it has the capabilities of curing all forms of cancer, among other things. I can only speak on my own experience with it and the reasons I chose to use it in the first place along with why I continue to use it today. Because of the nature of the cannabis plant, both its effects and status at the federal level and some states, I am including a disclaimer as well.

My opinions are my own and are not meant to give medical advice. My thoughts are provided for general informational and educational purposes only and are not meant as a substitute for professional medical advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, I encourage you to consult with the appropriate medical professionals. The use or reliance of any information contained in this article is solely at your own risk.

The End