Maximum Yield Cannabis USA October/November 2018 | Page 56

Online Scammers Undermine
Rick Simpson’s Efforts
by Kent Gruetzmacher
After his own amazing
recovery from cancer, Rick
Simpson has spent much
of his life helping others
recover from the disease by
sharing his Rick Simpson Oil
recipe. Unfortunately, much
of Simpson’s efforts to make
Rick Simpson
the world a better place have
been undermined by online scammers taking
advantage of the very people he is trying to help.
C
anadian icon Rick Simpson has become a
global symbol for cancer patients advocating for
governmental and medical recognition of cannabis.
Simpson’s miraculous cannabis oil-induced recovery
from skin cancer not only shed light on the potential of
marijuana as medicine, but his grassroots campaign
spread knowledge about the herb and inspired thousands
of people. Since then, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) has gained
international notoriety as a high-quality, THC-based oil
concentrate with robust curative effects.
Simpson, like other medical marijuana freedom
fighters, sees more value in cannabis than just
monetary gain. As such, he says he literally feels that
“God’s Law” has directed humankind to use this plant.
What’s more, Simpson has never monetized RSO or his
fame, even though it is believed that he has helped
cure cancer in more than 5,000 people. At a time when
everyone knows somebody who has died from cancer,
take a minute to reflect on the magnitude and impact
of Simpson’s undertaking.
After Hydrolife Magazine included Simpson in “Five
People Who Changed the Cannabis Landscape” (Hydrolife
December/January 2017), Danijela Smiljanic Simpson,
Simpson’s wife, noted that her husband’s efforts to improve
people’s lives is being undermined by online scammers.
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According to Smiljanic Simpson, people have been
hijacking her husband’s name and image in the sale
of subpar, fake, and non-existent RSO products online
and in cannabis dispensaries. Some of these people
have even posed as Simpson himself. It goes without
saying, taking advantage of sick people and selling
fake medicine goes against the very grain of Simpson’s
existence. He says he feels that “high-quality cannabis
extracts should be made available at very reasonable
costs since this is a very cheap medication to produce.”
Similarly, Simpson abides by the notion that “the
knowledge surrounding the medicinal value of this
plant is something we should all have.”
RSO Scams Online and on Social Media
Due to his unflinching efforts to promote cannabis
oil medicine, Simpson has achieved a high level of
credibility within the circles of marijuana advocacy. His
involvement in the medical marijuana field is a mix of
personal experience, altruistic intent, medical critic,
and government skeptic. As such, he has literally taken
it upon himself to circumvent the “misguided” ethos of
Western medicine and directly supply cancer patients
with cannabis medicines and data.
People have come to trust Simpson’s opinion concern-
ing marijuana, largely because medical authorities and
governments continue to refute the legitimacy of the medi-
cine. It is this trust that is being exploited by RSO scam-
mers. According to Simpson, these medical marijuana
patients “have nowhere to turn” for medicine and are
being preyed upon by internet criminals.
Using fake social media accounts and websites, these
imposters are reportedly scamming cancer patients out
of tens of thousands of dollars. While researching this
article, I came across several social media pages using
Simpson’s name and image, some guiding users to
another website for financial transactions. In one of the
most appalling cases, an elderly cancer patient reported
to Simpson that she sent an imposter $20,000, only to
be delivered a fake RSO product which he described
as “garbage.” Similarly, RSO scammers often prompt
cancer patients to “wire” them money with no intentions
of ever fulfilling the orders.