HEMP CAR PULLED OVER

MONTREAL -- The Hemp Car had barely begun its tour of the city -- the first
Canadian stop on the Virginia-based group's schedule -- when a police
cruiser pulled it over.

"Just a standard check," said a police officer who stood by the car.

Was it the big marijuana leaf decal on the vehicle's hood? Or the many
decals with the word "hemp" that decorated its sides?

Maybe it was the fact that the driver kept yelling "Hemp car! The car that
runs on cannabis oil!" through the sunroof with a megaphone.

No Permit For Light

As it turned out, police were concerned about a yellow flashing light on
top of the car, which should not be used without a permit.

"It's the first time we've been pulled over," said Scott Furr, media
director for Hemp Car Transamerica.

Furr is part of the four-member crew from Hampton, Va., that has already
travelled 2,400 km across North America.

The idea for the hemp car -- a 1983 Mercedes-Benz station wagon -- began
when Grayson and a friend sought an ecologically friendly way to tour North
America.

They found a way to produce biodiesel fuel from hemp-seed oil. The
industrial hemp plant is inexpensive and easy to grow, and the
biodegradable fuel gives the same mileage as regular diesel. Furr said the
exhaust from the car contains 80% less pollutants than traditional diesel fuel.