Margins Are Sky-High. Patients Are Broke. And the Market Calls It “Progress.”
By Boof du Jour Market Intelligence Cannabis Industry Report | Q2 2025
Executive Summary:
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) was originally developed to help patients survive cancer.Now it helps brands survive margin reports.
In an industry obsessed with vaporizing its soul for quarterly earnings, RSO has emerged as a dark horse profit vehicle, disguised in faux-medical sincerity and shrink-wrapped in a sticker that says “Compassion.”
Once considered a low-cost, high-potency option for serious medical patients, RSO is now the Wagyu beef of the trim bin—sold at $60–$95 per gram, with a production cost that hovers comfortably under $5. And investors? They love it. Patients? Not so much.
Industry Overview:
Cannabis companies across the U.S. have discovered a magical three-part formula:
Use Rick Simpson’s name for clout.
Charge terminal patients like it’s caviar.
Call it “medical innovation.”
This business model has been enthusiastically adopted by multi-state operators (MSOs) and boutique brands alike. In internal documents reviewed by Boof du Jour, one CMO described RSO as “the ideal SKUmouflage: low effort, high emotional ROI.”
Another labeled it bluntly: “It’s just crude oil for the sympathy market.”
Market Trends & Price Analysis:
Average production cost per gram: $2.42
Average retail price: $68.50
Mark-up: 2,730%
Tax inclusion: Optional, but mostly exploited
The Boof Index™ now rates RSO as the single most over-leveraged guilt-based product in legal cannabis—beating out “sustainable rolling papers,” “artisanal hash,” and “terpene-charged gratitude capsules.”
Brand Strategy Breakdown
Let’s examine the top three offenders:
TheraGold Medicinals™Sells 1g RSO for $89.95, claims it’s “infused with vibrational energy therapy.” Uses QR codes to direct patients to a Spotify playlist and GoFundMe.
Bastion Wellness™Pushes a “Legacy Rick Reserve” line priced at $74.99/g. Packaging includes Rick Simpson’s silhouette, despite zero affiliation. Lab results not posted.
Equinox Extracts™Their $95 RSO line features full-page ads in “Wellness Investor Weekly,” while offering no patient discounts. Known internally as “Cash Syringe.”
When asked about pricing strategy, Equinox’s CEO said: “We align price with the healing journey.”Translation: We charge what the market will emotionally tolerate before Twitter notices.
Regulatory Outlook:
There is zero oversight on the use of Rick Simpson’s name. No licensing, no royalties, no accountability. Brands are essentially price-gouging the dying with full legal protection, while regulators focus on whether edibles look too much like cereal.
Meanwhile, patient assistance programs have been quietly euthanized. Why give something away when you can “package it as hope” and charge $92 for it?
Investor Takeaway:
In the absence of federal reform, the cannabis market has turned morality into margin.
RSO is no longer a treatment. It’s an asset class.
Brands are positioning it not just as a medical product, but as a sympathy arbitrage vehicle, allowing them to appear mission-driven while juicing average order values and securing brand loyalty through emotional blackmail.
Boof du Jour analysts predict continued growth in the “Exploitative Medicinal Niche Products” (EMNP) segment, particularly as MSOs look for recession-proof SKUs that still pass as compassionate.
Final Word from the Street:
“RSO is the cheapest oil we make. It’s also the most expensive one we sell. That’s the dream.”— Leaked earnings call, anonymous VP of Revenue, unnamed Illinois MSO
Boof du Jour Rating:
Sell your soul. Buy more syringes. Hope no one does the math. Boof du Jour is a satire website. All content, including articles, images, and social media posts, is intended for entertainment and comedic purposes only. Any resemblance to real people, events, or situations is purely coincidental.
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