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SIMPSON IN MORE TROUBLE, by Ted Smith
By Hempology | January 8, 2008
A 57 year old man from Macaan, N.S. could be spending much of 2008 behind bars for giving cannabis oil to seriously ill people in his neighbourhood. A police raid on Rickey Simpson’s property in Aug 2005 led to charges of possession, cultivation and possession for the purpose of trafficking cannabis resin after officers found about 1,200 plants and oil making equipment. The ppt of cannabis resin was changed to ppt of THC during the jury trial, which started this summer.
In May 2005, Rickey sent a video to the local RCMP office explaining what he was doing and how cannabis oil helped people with cancer and other serious medical problems. That evidence was not allowed into the courtroom, nor were any of Rickey’s patients. Rickey suffers from post concussion syndrome and has cured himself from skin cancer using cannabis oil. Rickey defended himself in court, asking the jury, “If you were to discover a cure for cancer, could you, in good conscience, keep the information from others? Would you not have tried to help people? If . . . you contacted every person or agency who you thought might be able to help make the cure available and they did nothing, would you still not feel compelled to continue to grow, process and provide the cure? All you have to do is put yourselves in my shoes. Would you not have tried to help people? In the end, it’s all about a person’s conscience. Would you consider saving lives and easing human suffering with man’s oldest known and safest medication a criminal act??
After the jury found Rickey guilty of all charges he was very upset. “It may be better to lock me up right now. As soon as I get home I’m going to treat my patients. I’m going to grow that plant until the day I die, so I might as well be put in jail today. I can’t stop in the middle of (treatment). People’s lives are at stake here.? Unfortunately, when Rickey showed up at his sentencing hearing on Nov 30 he was arrested and charged with more trafficking charges. He spent the weekend in jail before being released on Dec 3 on $2,000 surety and conditions to keep the peace. His sentencing hearing for the convictions will be held on Jan 18 and the next trial will begin on Jan 21. Rickey has given his oil to sick people for years (see Cannabis Digest #11) and has the support of many citizens, including the local chapter of the Provincial Royal Canadian Legion, which was temporarily shut down for publicly supporting his cause. Everyone wishes this courageous man the best of luck in his ongoing battles.
Topics: Articles, CD-16th, Winter 2008 | Comments Off
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