What is RSO Rick Simpson Oil? MrGreen DC budtenders explain dosing, benefits, and uses for DC medical cannabis patients. Visit us on Connecticut Ave.
● mrgreendc.com
4302 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC
RSO Rick Simpson Oil is one of the most powerful cannabis products sitting on our shelves at MrGreen DC, and it’s also the one that intimidates people the most. I get it. That dark, thick syringe doesn’t exactly look inviting. But I had a patient come in a few weeks ago — retired federal worker from Dupont Circle, dealing with chronic joint pain for years — and she told me RSO changed her sleep and her mornings more than anything else she’d tried. That’s not unusual. If you’re a medical cannabis patient in DC wondering whether this stuff is right for you, you’re in the right place. I’m going to walk you through what RSO actually is, how to dose it without scaring yourself, and why it’s become one of the most requested products at our dispensary on Connecticut Avenue.
What Exactly Is RSO Rick Simpson Oil — and How Is It Different from Other Cannabis Oil?
RSO is a full spectrum cannabis extract. That’s the key phrase: full spectrum. Unlike a distillate cartridge or a cannabis tincture that isolates specific cannabinoids, RSO pulls out everything from the plant — THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, plus the full terpene and flavonoid profile. The result is a thick, dark, almost tar-like oil usually packaged in an oral syringe. It looks intimidating. It’s not.
The name comes from Rick Simpson, a Canadian man who popularized the extract in the early 2000s after claiming it helped him treat skin cancer. Now, I’m a budtender, not a doctor, and I’m not making medical claims here. But what I can tell you is that the science behind cannabis bioavailability supports why full spectrum extracts hit differently than isolated cannabinoids. There’s a concept called the entourage effect — the idea that cannabinoids, terpenes like myrcene, caryophyllene, and linalool, and other plant compounds work better together than alone. RSO is basically the entourage effect in a syringe.
People often ask me how RSO compares to a regular cannabis tincture. The short answer: potency and composition. A tincture is usually an alcohol- or MCT-oil-based solution with specific cannabinoid ratios. It’s more diluted, easier to dose in small increments, and hits a little faster sublingually. RSO is the concentrated, whole-plant heavy hitter. They’re both useful — they’re just different tools for different situations. If you’re curious about tinctures too, we carry options like our Motorbreath double-strength tincture that pairs well with an RSO routine.
How to Dose RSO: Microdosing Cannabis and Working Your Way Up
Here’s the thing: the number one mistake I see with RSO is people treating it like an edible and going too big on day one. Don’t do that. RSO Rick Simpson Oil is incredibly concentrated — we’re talking anywhere from 500mg to 2500mg of THC in a single syringe. A rice-grain-sized dose can contain 10–25mg of THC. For context, a standard edible dose in DC is 10mg. So yeah, respect the syringe.
My recommendation for anyone new to RSO is to start with microdosing cannabis. Squeeze out a dot the size of half a grain of rice — maybe 5mg of THC — onto a small piece of food. A cracker works. Peanut butter works better (fat improves cannabis bioavailability, and I’ll explain why in a second). Take it, wait a full two hours, and then decide if you want more. Two hours. Not forty-five minutes.
The most common question I get behind the counter is “how do I know the right dose?” And honestly, there’s no single answer because everyone’s endocannabinoid system is different. But there is a framework that works for nearly everyone:
- Days 1–3: Half a rice grain, once per day (roughly 5mg THC)
- Days 4–7: One full rice grain, once per day (roughly 10mg THC)
- Week 2: One rice grain, twice per day, if you’re tolerating it well
- Week 3 and beyond: Gradually increase based on how you feel — some patients land at 25mg per dose, others work up to much higher amounts over months
This slow ramp-up matters. If you’re using RSO for chronic pain or sleep, the benefits tend to build over consistent use, not from a single heroic dose. Patience is literally the strategy here.
Days 1–3:
The Best Ways to Take RSO: Sublingual Dosing Tips and Beyond
You’ve got options. RSO isn’t just an edible — you can use it multiple ways depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.
Oral (Swallowed with Food)
This is the most common method. Squeeze your dose onto a piece of food and swallow. Because RSO passes through your digestive system, it behaves like an edible — onset takes 45 minutes to 2 hours, and the effects can last 4–8 hours. Cannabis decarboxylation has already happened during the RSO extraction process, so you don’t need to heat it. It’s ready to eat as-is.
Quick tip on how to dose edibles effectively: always pair RSO with something fatty. Coconut oil, butter, cheese, avocado — THC is fat-soluble, so eating it with fat significantly increases absorption. A patient from Capitol Hill told me she started putting her RSO on a spoonful of coconut oil and noticed a dramatically stronger effect from the same dose. That’s not placebo. That’s chemistry.
Sublingual (Under the Tongue)
If you want faster onset, sublingual dosing is your move. Place your RSO dose under your tongue and hold it there for 60–90 seconds before swallowing. The mucous membranes under your tongue absorb cannabinoids directly into your bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system. You’ll typically feel effects within 15–30 minutes. It won’t taste great (no judgment, everyone asks) — but it works faster than swallowing alone. These sublingual dosing tips apply to tinctures too, by the way.
Topical (Directly on Skin)
Less common but worth knowing about. Some patients apply RSO directly to the skin for localized issues. The THC doesn’t typically enter your bloodstream this way, so you won’t feel “high,” but patients report relief for specific areas of discomfort. I’ve seen folks in the Shaw and Logan Circle neighborhoods who swear by it for post-workout soreness.
Capsules (DIY)
Buy empty gel capsules from any pharmacy and fill them with your measured RSO dose. This is great if you hate the taste and want precise, consistent dosing. It behaves the same as oral consumption — just without the flavor.
Who Uses RSO and Why? Cannabis for Chronic Pain, Sleep, and More
Look, RSO isn’t a party product. Nobody’s bringing this to a rooftop hangout in Adams Morgan. The people who seek out RSO Rick Simpson Oil are almost always medical cannabis patients dealing with serious, persistent issues.
The patients I talk to most often are using RSO for:
- Chronic pain — cannabis for chronic pain is one of the top reasons people get their DC medical card in the first place. RSO’s full spectrum profile means you’re getting anti-inflammatory terpenes like caryophyllene alongside the THC.
- Sleep — the heavy body effect of a full spectrum cannabis oil, especially one rich in myrcene and linalool, tends to promote deep, sustained sleep. Patients tell me they’re not just falling asleep faster — they’re staying asleep.
- Appetite support — patients going through treatments that suppress appetite often find that a small RSO dose before meals helps enormously.
- Anxiety and mood — though I always recommend starting very low, because too much THC can push anxiety the wrong direction. Microdosing cannabis with RSO is the way to go here.
Honestly, the reason RSO has such a dedicated following is because it works for people who’ve already tried flower, edibles, and tinctures and need something stronger or more complete. It’s the “I’ve been through everything else” product. That doesn’t mean beginners can’t use it — they absolutely can, as long as they follow the dosing framework I outlined above.
For a deeper understanding of how terpenes drive these effects, check out our terpene guide. It’ll change how you shop for cannabis entirely.
Getting Your DC Medical Cannabis Card Is Easier Than You Think
If you’re not yet a medical cannabis patient in DC, here’s the good news: becoming one takes about two minutes (seriously, two minutes). DC uses a self-certification process through the ABCA medical cannabis program. You don’t need a doctor’s visit. You don’t need a diagnosis letter. You don’t pay a fee. If you’re 21 or older, you go to the ABCA website, self-certify, and you’re a legal medical cannabis patient in Washington DC.
The question I get from almost every nervous new patient — especially the ones who work on the Hill or in government-adjacent jobs — is whether their employer will find out. The answer is no. ABCA does not share your patient data with employers, federal agencies, or anyone else. Your registration is protected. Zero career risk. This isn’t a gray area; it’s written into how the program operates. Your medical marijuana DC card is between you and ABCA, period.
Once you’ve got your card, you can walk into any licensed medical dispensary in Washington DC — including ours on Connecticut Avenue — and purchase RSO, tinctures, flower, edibles, concentrates, and anything else on our menu.
How to Shop for RSO at a DC Dispensary
Not all RSO is created equal. Here’s what to look for when you’re shopping at a dispensary on Connecticut Avenue DC (or anywhere, really):
- Check the cannabinoid profile. Good RSO will list THC, CBD, and ideally other cannabinoids. A high-THC RSO is typical, but some patients do better with a balanced THC:CBD ratio.
- Ask about the source strain. The strain determines the terpene profile, which affects your experience. An RSO made from a strain heavy in pinene and limonene will feel different than one dominated by myrcene.
- Look at total milligrams. We carry a 500mg RSO syringe that’s perfect for beginners, and a 2500mg RSO syringe for experienced patients who know their dose and want better value per milligram.
- Storage matters. Keep your RSO in a cool, dark place. Some people refrigerate it, which makes it thicker and harder to squeeze — running the syringe under warm water for thirty seconds fixes that.
My personal opinion? If you’re brand new to RSO Rick Simpson Oil, grab the 500mg syringe. It’ll last you weeks at microdoses, and you’ll learn your tolerance without having a massive syringe staring you down from the nightstand. Once you know your dose, upgrade to the 2500mg — the cost per milligram is significantly better.
Whether you’re exploring RSO Rick Simpson Oil for the first time or you’re a long-time medical cannabis patient in DC looking for a more concentrated option, we’re here to help you figure it out. Stop by MrGreen DC on Connecticut Avenue NW and talk to one of our budtenders — we’ll walk you through dosing, answer every question you’ve got, and help you find the right product. Not in the neighborhood? We deliver throughout DC, from Dupont Circle to Navy Yard and everywhere in between. Check out our cannabis delivery page and we’ll bring it to your door.