Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) became popular in the early 2000s after its namesake, Rick Simpson, a Canadian engineer and medical marijuana activist, claimed that he cured his skin cancer using a homemade cannabis extract.
Simpson began sharing his formula and method publicly after reportedly seeing significant results with his health issues around 2003, despite cannabis still being illegal in Canada. He promoted the oil as a cure for a wide range of ailments, from chronic pain, cancer, and depression to infections and asthma — though it didn’t have any clinical testing behind it.
Despite this, Simpson's advocacy and testimonials from people who used his formula helped spread the word about RSO and the potential of medical cannabis worldwide [1].
His method involved using high-THC marijuana strains to create a thick, high-cannabinoid oil, which he encouraged others to produce themselves since he didn’t sell it.
The claims about RSO's effectiveness, particularly regarding cancer, were met with skepticism by medical professionals due to a lack of comprehensive clinical trials. Still, the oil continues to be popular among some users of medicinal cannabis for its potent effects.
Does RSO Get You High?
Yes, traditional Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) will get you high if ingested.
There are two main methods of RSO oil — topical application and ingestion. If you apply RSO topically, you won’t get high. This is because the skin does a pretty good job of preventing topically applied substances from entering the bloodstream.
RSO is a concentrated form of cannabis oil that’s known for its high levels of THC, the main psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis responsible for the typical marijuana high. Because of its high THC concentration, RSO is famous for its strong high.
Eleven years after RSO became well-known, the market has expanded to include a wide range of these potent extracts, offering options that may vary in THC concentration or include other beneficial cannabinoids like CBD.
If you’re wondering whether or not a particular RSO cannabis oil will get you high, like any cannabis-derived product, it depends on the concentration of THC in the product. Most people will experience the psychoactive effects of THC with as low as 2.5–5 mg in dose, so keep that in mind when shopping for products.
Does Neurogan RSO Get You High?
Our Neurogan RSO stands for Raw Scandinavian Oil. While it does take some inspiration from Rick Simpson for yielding high concentrations of cannabinoids, this product is made from hemp plants with less than 0.3% THC concentration by weight, so it’s not designed to get you high.
The total THC content in our RSO tincture is 26.6 mg per bottle (2 oz), which means you’re receiving less than 0.5 mg of THC per dose. The THC isn’t the highlight of this product—it’s the range of raw cannabinoids like CBDa, THCa, CBC, and other cannabinoids with terpenes to support the entourage effect.
How Strong is RSO?
Not all RSO products are made the same. They have their own CBD and THC concentrations to create unique formulas with intended specific effects.
Rick Simpson Oil’s claim to fame is its extremely high and potent quantities of THC and CBD. THC levels may reach up to 90 percent, which is considered a very high quantity. In traditional RSO formulas, CBD content can often be as high as 60%.
More balanced RSO options are available for those who prefer a more subtle option. These products will have a variety of different cannabinoid ratios. Some of them will have higher CBD content and lower THC content. You can even find some non-traditional RSO options that still offer robust effects without a high enough THC content to get you high.
What’s the Most Potent RSO You Can Get?
Many of the highly potent RSO products available are only available in certain states. Due to the high THC content in traditional RSO, it's unlikely that it will be sold in states where recreational or medical marijuana is banned.
The most potent RSO is likely to be found in syringes. With RSO syringes, you consume the RSO sublingually or through a beverage or food. These products are extremely potent because they’re not diluted with other carrier oils, so it’s important to follow a dosage guide, as a potent dose can be as small as the size of half a grain of rice.
If you live in California, you may be interested in Emerald Bay Extracts’s highly potent RSO extracts. With various strains to choose from and a syringe marked down to intervals of 0.025 ml, their syringes offer high concentration with the option to take a small dose.
Since the original Rick Simpson Oil, the market has expanded greatly, and many RSO oils you find today aren’t exactly “true” to the original formula.
This means that you may find Rick Simpson-inspired oil. These may be legally more accessible or inclusive of a wider range of formulas for a wider range of desirable effects.
Our RSO oil is a strong and potent example of non-traditional RSO oil. Many traditional Rick Simpson oils are made from marijuana-derived THC, but our alternative RSO products are hemp-derived, meaning it is federally legal and very accessible. It comes in capsules, tinctures, and gummies, so you can choose how you want to consume our high-potency RSO.
Is It Safe to Use RSO?
It’s generally safe to use RSO as long as it’s high quality. The extraction process for producing oils from cannabis has come a long way since 2003, which means there aren’t as many butane-made products on the market, with a bad reputation for leaving behind harmful contaminants. Still, it’s best practice to use products with third-party lab tests to verify the concentration of cannabinoids and their purity.
However, following an RSO dosage chart is crucial to ensuring a safe dose. As we said, RSO syringes are the most potent RSO you can get, but it is difficult to ensure precise dosing with syringes. Since dosing RSO with syringes may be more difficult, this can make them less safe than capsules and gummies with more precise dosing.
The Takeaway: Can RSO Get You High?
The short answer is yes — traditional marijuana-derived RSO can get you high because of its high THC concentration when ingested.
Nowadays, there are so many variations of RSO — it doesn’t have to be marijuana-derived, and it doesn’t have to have a high THC concentration — which means you need to take a closer look at the production process and third-party lab reports to understand what that RSO is comprised of.
There are alternative RSO options that have a lower THC content, making them accessible and potentially more enjoyable, depending on your goals.
References:
- Oil, R. S., & Yelland, R. S. O. C. C. Medical Cannabis & The Endocannabinoid System.
