Cannabis legislation and cancer treatments

Photo: Davor Pongracic

The medicinal application of cannabis and supporting legislation in Canada has always been under heavy scrutiny, but why? Rick Simpson of Phoenix Tears strongly believes that cannabis legislation is being purposely held up by an elaborate platform of misinformation and pharmaceutical interests.

Simpson has become well known for his claims supporting the medicinal properties found in cannabis, and how they interact with the human cannabinoid system.  Unfortunately for most all Canadians; Cannabis is seldom prescribed. Following exhausting and ineffective pharmaceutical treatment for a severe head injury sustained in 1997, Simpson decided to create his own medication.

Phoenix Tears is the product of a simple reduction process that concentrates the most beneficial components of the THC and CBD molecules present in cannabis. Simpson has worked to simplify the process and help educate any patient seeking an alternative to pharmaceuticals.Simpson believes that cannabis is a more natural and effective means of treating various ailments, when prescribed with a healthy lifestyle.

Patients seeking non-pharmaceutical treatmentssoon began to contact Rick. By replacing a hand full of pills with Simpson’s oil, theyquickly realized that cannabis treatment alternatives were essentially side effect free.

“We have a drug addicted society in Canada…rather than actually helping anyone, everyone is lining their pockets”

Realizing that the current system was broken, Rick decided to distribute his concentrated oil free of charge. The overwhelmingly positive local response led to national attention. Regardless of incredible results reported to the Canadian Cancer Society by Rick, his claims were ignored. Since the discovery of the endocannabinoid system various studies have been conducted with similar results. In one phase 1 clinical trial, Dr. Manuel Guzman determined that “some patients responded -at least partially- to THC treatment in terms of decreased tumour growth rate. Unfortunately, these findings have yet to inspire legislation reform”.

Cannabis has become a primary focal point of medical research. Unlike any other form of medicine, cannabis appears to have no limitations in terms of application. Dr Manuel Guzman’s phase 1 clinical trial of cannabis treatment forcancer patients illustrated the possibility of success. Simpson is less than surprised that studies such as Guzmans are widely ignored: “the system is broken, and no one wants to fix it”.

Pharmaceutical profits reach new highs year after year. Inexpensive to mass produce, the profits behind these chemical treatments seem to outweigh the results. Like Guzman, Simpson believes that there could be a more sustainable cancer treatment system available if only the proper funding and research was conducted to support it.

Rick has worked tirelessly to further promote the pro-cannabis platform, with little to no success. He believes that the scrutiny following marijuana is the primary legislative filibuster. Simpson identifies that the major corporations that control the contents of almost everyone’s medicine cabinet, have no interest in cannabis. The current status of marijuana’s legalization process in Canada holds true to these claims. Instead of fighting an uphill battle, Rick advocatesinternational reform in an effort to break through the misinformation haze hanging over cannabis legislation. Further clarification on where Mary Jane stands amongst countless harmful and addictive treatments is yet to be determined. For humanities sake, Simpson maintains the hope that eventually all healthcare systems will prioritize the care and well-being of the patient, rather than the profits of the system itself.

Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson is a retired power engineer who worked for 25 years in the medical system in Canada.  After suffering a severe head injury in 1997 he took all the medications that the doctors prescribed, but their side effects did nothing but harm.  So in desperation he turned to the use of cannabis extracts, which he produced himself and quickly found that he had discovered the greatest natural medicine on earth.  After learning the truth about the amazing healing abilities of these extracts, he then went to the authorities to have its use recognized, but found that in reality those who control our lives, wanted to keep the truth hidden from public view.  Having nowhere else to turn, he then made this knowledge public and since that time countless individual’s worldwide have used his information to cure or control illnesses for which our current medical systems have no solution.

Rick Simpson was giving the oil away for free, since he was growing plants in his own backyard, while he was still in Canada, until 2009, when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police made their final raid at his home. Rick was always talking about THC oil, and not CBD oil. The oil that he was giving away for free had a very high percentage of THC, and it also contained low levels of CBD and other cannabinoids.  Today these extracts are usually called RSO or Rick Simpson Oil and it was the previous leader of the hemp movement Jack Herer himself who coined this phrase. Since 2013 Rick no longer lives in Canada.

Rick Simpson, put up the phoenixtears.ca website back in 2004 and he made the information people need to heal themselves free for all to use at no cost. Rick did not even try to patent the oil or the method he used to produce the oil, because he felt that this is knowledge everyone should have, so they could learn how to deal with their medical problems themselves, in a sensible harmless manner.

“I want people to know how to heal themselves”, Rick Simpson

Bibliography

Guzman, M. (2004). Cancer: Do cannabinoids cure cancer? Retrieved February 2017, from Cannabinoid medicilles; International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: http://cannabis-med.org/index.php?tpl=faq&red=faqlist&id=274&lng=en

Simpson, R. (2017, January 26). Cannabis’ current political landscape. (B. D. McLean, Interviewer)

Main photo by Danijela S. Simpson

Braydon McLean