Jimmy Carberry on old marijuana myths, Olivetol, and the importance of cannabis consumer education
Earlier this month, I expressed my curiosity about Undoo, which bills itself as the “only cannabis public safety product.” Among other things, I vowed to sample all three versions of the product—Relax, Reset, and Refresh—and to learn more about the science of nursing different kinds of highs.
As part of that mission, I also asked some questions of James “Jimmy” Carberry. The president and co-founder of Undoo LLC, he is the scientist who discovered the formula inside these softgels. He’s been around the cannabis community for more than three decades, largely on the glass paraphernalia side, but also on the medicine and media fronts.
I asked Carberry, also known as “Glaucoma Jim” for the eye problems which pushed him deep into the culture, about his journey to Undoo and the experience that spurred him to help folks in their time of weed.
You probably have to tell people all the time what you do, and about Undoo. What’s your elevator pitch about how this stuff works?
The magic within the patented Undoo formula lies with our key molecule Olivetol.
Olivetol is expected to act as a competitive inhibitor of the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 and has been cited as such. It is believed that Olivetol binds more tightly and/or more aggressively to the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and/or CB2 and has a much lower dissociation constant, allowing it to stay in the active site of the CB receptors for a longer period while not activating the receptor.
Our company is dedicated to science and is pursuing research studies for additional data to the already published articles.
What did you learn in your years of advocacy during outright prohibition that you have carried over to your work with the Undoo brand?
During outright prohibition, obviously, there were no regulations around cannabis products which lead to inconsistency in the types of products people would consume. In addition to this, there was a huge lack of education and knowledge around cannabis consumption, which makes sense considering research around cannabis was virtually nonexistent. This is something that we are still catching up with today. With this gap in knowledge, education relied on word of mouth and because of this, a lot of myths existed in the industry that still have repercussions today. The biggest thing I see that continues to carry over from outright prohibition to our current state today as I work with Undoo products is the need for quality education to the consumers, letting people make the best informed decisions possible as they move forward with their cannabis journey.
Considering your background in the paraphernalia industry and around weed events, I take it that Undoo products came out of some kind of necessity. Any standout circumstances that made you say that people really need a way to snap out of it sometimes?
In addition to my advocacy in the United States, I was also a cannabis cup judge in Amsterdam for 20 years. One issue that I would consistently see with tourists, including American tourists, was that people would be trying cannabis products often for the first time and would get themselves in a situation where they felt way too high and this would potentially ruin an entire day or two of their vacation. Having seen these same issues in America, especially with so many new medical and recreational consumers coming to the cannabis space, it was very apparent that this was a severe problem and safety hazard.
My partner, Sarara, challenged me to find a solution to this growing problem in the industry. Having spent my time going through any type of cannabis related research that I could get my hands on, one key point that kept circling back within the literature was the molecule Olivetol and how it would appear in the process of breaking down cannabinoids. Seeing this molecule continuously reappear, I drew the hypothesis that this was the key.
Being an advocate in plant based medicine as a whole, I went to the literature to see where else I could find this miracle molecule and it so happens to be that Olivetol is found in lichens as well as many of the plants we eat. I went ahead and made my first at-home batch of 5,000 capsules of what is now the Undoo formula to see if my hypothesis was correct. In addition to testing the product within my network, I traveled around to cannabis events throughout the United States and would find people at the events that would be in a position to need Undoo products. I would conduct my own personal tests in real time at these events and, after seeing the huge positive impact the product and formula had, it became overly apparent that this is something needed in the market.
What’s the hardest thing about getting the word out about Undoo?
Like I said before, there’s a lot of old mythology around cannabis in general and around what to do if you feel too high. These myths include remedies such as using peppercorns, using breathwork, taking a shower, etc. However none of these truly are solutions.
With these myths out there, the hardest part of getting the word out about the Undoo product line is educating people at scale. Being that no other product previously existed to address this, we’ve had to overcome the mythology behind the old solutions and skepticism around our product. Nearly every cannabis consumer you come across has a story about a time when either themselves or one of their family or friends has felt too high.
Educating the masses is a tall task that we are working on every day. With over 56 million cannabis consumers currently in the United States and an estimated 2 million new cannabis consumers each year, we are working hard to educate people and have this important product line available for everyone.
Can you tell us about the evolution of the Undoo brand from what it was when you first started to now having the three different use cases?
When we came out with the first version of Undoo packets, we packaged the product in a single-use packet that attempted to sell all three use cases of the Undoo product within the single packet. What we realized is that each use case has its own target consumers and best methods to take the products to achieve the desired results/experience.
We decided that in order to meet consumers where they are, we needed to separate out each use case so we could focus the education for each use case separately. In addition to this, we also increased the concentration of Olivetol in each capsule to make sure that customers were getting the best effect from the product line without having to incorporate extra capsules each time. All of this has worked wonders for our customers as we can get the right product and instructions into their hands.
Which of the Undoo products do you personally use?
I take Undoo reset softgels every night. With the amount of cannabis that I consume each day for my eyesight and glaucoma, I like to have the reset each night to help with my cannabis consumption the next day.
What can you tell us about the research you are doing with the Cannabis Center of Excellence? How is that informing your next moves with the company?
We have had thousands of happy customers over the years that have reported back their amazing experiences with the Undoo product line. With the Cannabis Center of Excellence, we are collecting data so that instead of customer feedback, we have structured data. Through the study, we are getting direct feedback from both military veterans and your everyday cannabis consumer with their experiences for each Undoo product. When this data is complete, it will be the basis of all of our education, outreach, and future marketing programs.
We’re seeing more and more hemp-derived THC products and synthetic THC alternatives popping up. Have Undoo products been shown to have any results with these substances?
We have been receiving positive feedback from customers using Undoo products alongside hemp-derived THC products. With these THC products affecting your ECS system and your CB1 receptor, the Undoo formula is expected to have a similar effect.
