Before RSO Was a Movement, It Was a Necessity
Rick Simpson with cannabis plants in Nova Scotia, early 2000s. Before RSO Was a Movement, It Was a Necessity Before Rick Simpson became a symbol, he was just a man in pain. There was no audience. No branding. No hashtags. No movement waiting to be born. There was a workplace injury in the late 1990s, followed by years of chronic pain, neurological symptoms, and a growing realization that the conventional medical path he was on was not giving him answers that felt complete. Cannabis entered Rick Simpson’s life quietly, the way it does for many patients—out of need, not ideology. He wasn’t chasing rebellion or recreation. He was looking for relief. That context matters, because history tends to flatten people into slogans. Rick Simpson was not trying to change cannabis culture. He was trying to get through his days. The Plant Came First. The Oil Came Later. By the early 2000s, Rick began growing cannabis plants in Nova Scotia. Not for potency contests. Not for profit. For fun...