_edited.jpg)
Illegally Alive: Why Some Cancer Patients Still Rely on the Legacy Cannabis Market
- EduCanNation Executive
- Jan 17
- 8 min read
By Jay Jay O'Brien
Executive Director @ EduCanNationCertified Medical Cannabis Coach & Educator
“I’d rather be illegally alive, than legally dead.” JACK KUNGEL
In November 2019, I was told I had six months to a year to live.
The diagnosis of inoperable, incurable, and terminal lung cancer came with no roadmap, limited options, and an eerie absence of hope.
Cannabis had always been a part of my life—but cancer hadn’t, until it showed up uninvited. Thirteen years earlier, I watched my mom pass away just seven days after being told she had a year to live. When I received that very same prognosis, the experience sparked my refusal to accept the same fate. Determined in the knowledge that I had a hand in creating the dis-ease empowered me with the ‘inner’standing that whatever I created, I could also destroy.
Old Habits Die Hard
In my search for assistance, I returned to an old ally: Cannabis.
I had ‘smoked weed’ since I was a teenager, but my once casual companion soon became my fiercest ally and most powerful tool in my healing journey.
But it was different this time around.
This time, rather than casually smoking joints and eating ‘pot brownies,’ I would be intentionally ingesting a highly concentrated, sticky, black, tar-like substance – a potent extract of Cannabis, commonly referred to as “hash oil” in my moms day. I learned about it from the documentaries, “Weed The People” and from “Run From the Cure: The Rick Simpson Story”.
This THC-rich ‘hash oil’ has gone by many names, leading to a ton of confusion! Besides ‘hash oil,’ you may have heard it referenced as;
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)
Phoenix Tears
Full-Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO)
Concentrated Cannabis Oil (CCO)
Full-Spectrum Cannabis Oil (FSCO), or
Black.
Despite the variety of terms, they all refer to the same potent, whole-plant substance rich in medicinal compounds.
It's widely sought after by cancer patients and natural healers alike for its ability to induce apoptosis, inhibit angiogenesis, and prevent proliferation and metastasis. The only differences between these titles lie in how the plant materials are extracted. This is why it’s always important to know your medicine and where it comes from.
The most accurate term to date—and the one I’ll use from here on—is FECO/Full Extract Cannabis Oil.
FECO is a full-spectrum concentrated extract made primarily from the flowering tops of the Cannabis plant. Full-Spectrum means it contains a complete range of medicinally beneficial compounds—including cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other phytonutrients—that work together in synergy.
This powerful collaboration of their combined benefit is known as the entourage effect, a therapeutic phenomenon that isolated compounds simply can’t replicate.
The Legal Gap in Cancer Care
A recent AI-assisted meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Oncology reviewed over 10,000 studies and found that nearly 75% support the medical use of Cannabis in cancer care for its quality-of-life improvements, improved efficacy of other treatments, and its anti-cancer potential.
Cancer patients often require FECO to support their treatment, manage symptoms, and improve quality of life. Unfortunately, the current legal medical market doesn’t meet these needs adequately.
Why?
Licensed producers typically do not make or sell FECO due to regulatory barriers.
Health Canada hasn't provided clear guidance for high-potency Cannabis oil for ingestion.
Many physicians remain unwilling to authorize doses patients actually require.
Legalization didn’t legalize all forms of Cannabis, so the FECO available on the legal market is often sub-par, lacking variety, potency, and proper education for use.
The standard 60-gram-in-90-days protocol, originally recommended by former compassionate healer and activist Rick Simpson, was once considered a benchmark for cancer patients using Cannabis oil. But it’s important to understand: this guideline is now outdated as it fails to address individual needs and the amount of variables from cancer to cancer.
Today, we know that medicinal Cannabis use isn’t about hitting one target or mega-dosing a single compound. It’s about the entourage effect—the therapeutic synergy between cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBG, and more, alongside terpenes, flavonoids and all residual plant compounds.
A well-crafted, full-spectrum oil with personalized dosing is often more effective and far more affordable than rigid, high-dose mono-cannabinoid protocols.
Patients deserve better than a one-size-fits-all recommendation that breaks the bank. Affordability, education, and access to whole-plant, full-spectrum medicine should be the new standard of care, but the current disconnect in the legal market forces many patients and caregivers to turn to the legacy market where compassion, quality, and affordability still guide many providers.
The standard recommended protocols that can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 USD per month on the legal market, even with a medical document, depending on the source, cultivar (strain), and method of extraction.
For most people, especially those resigned to maintain lifelong healing, or those too sick to work, this price tag is simply not sustainable.
My compassionate provider charges enough to cover his costs. He’s not out there making a fortune off medical patients like our governments are.
$15 Billion dollars in excise taxes have been collected since legalization and you think any of that money went to support patients? I can assure you, it did not.
It’s no wonder patients are seeking alternatives outside the regulated system.
The Legacy Market: A Lifeline for Many
Before legalization, there were compassion clubs, kitchen apothecaries, and underground networks of patient-centered medical Cannabis providers. They existed to serve people like me—and like the cancer patients I now support. And they still exist, because the system still fails us patients.
Thankfully, advocates like Ted Smith, of the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club and Tim Barnhardt, of Legacy 420 continue to stand in the gap. Their decades of dedication to the plant has allowed desperate patients access to the high-quality, affordable medicine they need to survive, and in many cases, to thrive.
Their contributions to the medical community have inspired a vast network of compassionate healers that has stretched across the globe. No matter what corner of the earth you reside on, I can almost guarantee, there is a compassionate provider near you.
Legacy market products are typically full-spectrum, hand-crafted with care, and made in small batches using traditional extraction methods.
The current regulatory system doesn’t accommodate, nor recognize the long-standing service these providers offer to vulnerable communities.
The Thin Grey Moral Line
Accessing the legacy market isn’t about lawlessness, it’s about harm reduction. It's about informed choice. It’s about choosing to live.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms supports this, in principle. In R. v. Parker (2000), the courts ruled that denying Cannabis to medical patients violated their right to life, liberty, and security of the person under Section 7 of the Charter. That ruling helped pave the way for Canada’s medical Cannabis laws. But the struggle continues, especially for those with serious illnesses requiring potent, whole-plant medicine that isn't legally available.
Additionally, Section 262 of the Canadian Criminal Code reinforces this principle by criminalizing the act of preventing someone from taking steps to save their life. This section has been interpreted by some advocates to support patients who take life-saving action, even if that action exists in legal gray zones. It draws a moral line: if the system fails to provide access, the law itself recognizes that survival must come first.
For patients facing life-threatening illness, access to medicine isn’t always about compliance—it’s about survival. In these cases, the law has a duty not to punish, but to protect.
Finding Trustworthy Cannabis Oil: What to Look For—and What to Avoid
While the rise of social media has connected us in ways we never imagined, it has also opened the door for scammers to prey on vulnerable people. If you’re considering buying Cannabis oil, I do not recommend making your purchase through a Facebook group or from anyone who drops into your DMs offering you a deal or miracle ‘cure’.
These individuals are often not who they claim to be and tend to target those in vulnerable situations, especially cancer patients and others facing serious illness. They may promise miracle cures but end up delivering poor-quality products or, in some cases, nothing at all. Sadly, some are only after your money, leaving you without the support you need at a time when you’re already carrying so much. This is not conducive to healing.
To ensure you're accessing safe and effective healing medicine, it's important to connect with a trusted resource. At EduCanNation, we're here to guide you with experienced support, and a commitment to your well-being—so you never have to navigate this alone.
Another option, and in my opinion, the most empowering, is to grow and make your own medicine. If it’s available to you, like in most of Canada and the legal US states, home cultivation offers more than access, it’s a return to relationship, with the plant, with nature, and with your healing.
With a few basic tools, trusted guidance, and a little practice, you can take control of your wellness journey in a hands-on way. Making your own oils, tinctures, or topicals means:
You know exactly what’s going into your medicine
You can customize potency, strains, and formulations
You save money in the long term
You infuse the process with intention, care, and purpose
It’s not just medicine—it’s medicine made meaningful.
Want to empower yourself with the knowledge you need to make your own medicine? Consider becoming an EduCanNation Community member to access our extensive educational video library. Apply at educannation.info/plans-pricing
I'd Rather Be Illegally Alive Than Legally Dead
I’m not ashamed—or afraid—to say that I’ve had to navigate my own health journey, and that of others, through many ‘grey’ areas. My health, and the health of the patients I serve, depends on it. When legal pathways are incomplete or inaccessible, we’re left with no choice but to operate outside the lines drawn by outdated systems.
The law isn’t always just, and access isn’t always equal.
Because of this, the legacy market remains a go-to space for medical patients. This must be protected. Patients must be able to access the medicine they need, in the doses they require, without fear of stigma, persecution, or going broke.
The current regulatory system does not accommodate—or even recognize—the long-standing service these providers offer to vulnerable communities.
You are the Healer
While legalization has opened doors, it has also created barriers. Overtaxation, overregulation, and a dire lack of education have placed heavy burdens on patients, often making healing more difficult, not easier.
This isn’t about breaking the law—it’s about breaking through the limits of a system that continues to overlook and misunderstand those it claims to serve.
We’re not reckless; we’re resourceful. We’re not criminals; we’re caregivers, advocates, and survivors. And we can’t always wait for permission or policy to catch up.
Modern medicine has its place, but it rarely treats the whole person and has little knowledge of the benefits of Cannabis as it’s still plagued by Cannabis stigma. What’s dismissed as “alternative” is often ancestral, intuitive, and far more aligned with how real healing happens.
Plant medicine, breathwork, nourishment, energy, ceremony—these aren’t fringe. They’re foundational.
We are the medicine. We are the healer.
Cannabis isn't a last resort—it’s a first step toward autonomy, dignity, and healing. We have options beyond prescriptions and protocols, many unrecognized not because they’re unsafe, but because they disrupt systems of control. Still, we choose them. Because true health isn’t about compliance, it’s about reclaiming our power, our agency, and our sacred connection to our bodies.
If you’ve made the decision to step outside the box of normalcy to pursue a more integrated or natural approach to your healing, know that Cannabis is a most trusted and supportive ally, and the team at EduCanNation are here to guide you through any terrain you can’t navigate on your own. Help can be a few clicks away. educannation.info
References:
R. v. Parker, [2000] O.J. No. 2787 (Ont. C.A.) 👉 https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2000/2000canlii5762/2000canlii5762.html
Russo, E. B. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), 1344–1364.
Shevchenko, N. et al. (2023). Medical cannabis in oncology: A review of the evidence using artificial intelligence tools. Frontiers in Oncology.
Ziemianski, D., Capler, R., Tekanoff, R., Lacasse, A., Luconi, F., & Ware, M. A. (2015). Cannabis in medicine: a national educational needs assessment among Canadian physicians.
Di Marzo, V., & Piscitelli, F. (2015). The endocannabinoid system and its modulation by phytocannabinoids. Neurotherapeutics, 12(4), 692–698.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/
Comments