EVIL WEED NO MORE: HEMP PLANTS ARE IDEAL FOR CREATING BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Here's the dope: The hemp plant, also known as cannabis sativa or marijuana,
is one of the best moisturizers around.

The evil weed is, in fact, jam-packed with essential fatty acids and amino
acids, making it an ideal ingredient for beauty fare ranging from soaps to
face creams, shampoo, healing salves and even lip balm.

Hemp seeds can be pressed to produce a protein-rich oil that is particularly
well suited for dry skin.

Using cannabis-based cosmetics may bring to mind substance abuse, but in
fact the plant used to make beauty products -- industrial hemp -- is
altogether different from the smokable kind. It's virtually drug-free.

While it's true that the two plants are different varieties of the same
species, industrial hemp is cultivated for its seeds and stalks, which are
used to make everything from textiles and paint to margarine and paper
products.

That's why, in addition to being incredibly versatile, hemp saves trees,
prompting such eco-correct celebrities as Peter Fonda and Woody Harrelson to
sing the herb's praises.

Harrelson is regularly spotted wearing hemp outfits. Last year, he even
commissioned Giorgio Armani to design a deluxe hemp tux for the Golden Globe
awards.

"You can make anything out of this stuff," raved the actor. "And it's
non-psychoactive."

The only hitch is that the Controlled Substances Act, passed in 1970, made
it illegal to grow marijuana in the United States, and hemp companies are
forced to source the fiber overseas.

Nonetheless, in recent years, a bumper crop of hemp beauty brands has
sprouted around the nation.

The earth-friendly products are sold in alternative fashion boutiques,
environmental stores and hemp shops, such as Planet Hemp in New York's Soho
district, Frankel Bros. Hemp Outfitters in San Francisco and Hemp in the
Hollow in Laguna Beach, Calif.

For those who want to make a meal of it, The Galaxy Global Eatery in New
York stocks a cabinet of hemp cosmetics and a full menu of hemp delicacies
(including hemp burgers, which actually taste better than they sound).

Most hemp beauty lines have heady, aromatic fragrances -- not recommended
for those who dislike perfume. The packaging often has a homemade feel, with
boxes made of hemp or bamboo paper.

Body Dope, a provocatively named line of shampoos, conditioners, soaps,
massage oils and lip balms from the Berkeley, Calif.-based Two Star Dog, is
one of the best-sellers at Planet Hemp, according to John Powell, the
store's managing director.

"If people are worried about the name," he says, "their resistance is
overcome when they try the products."

There are many excellent handmade hemp soaps, such as Hempola's hand-cut
bars and All Around the World's cleansing soaps, which contain high levels
of essential oils.

There's also a strange dark brown soap from Virgin Body Care called Dirty
Dan's that gently exfoliates skin with a blend of corn meal, pumice and
crushed hemp seed.

Parched hands will benefit from an application of Sun Dog's hand cake, a
superstrength emollient packaged in a metal tin.

In the realm of hair care, Alterna has a new line called Enzyme therapy that
is sold only in salons. The products are formulated with hemp seed oil and
each is packaged with a tiny packet of seeds roped to its neck. Sterilized
hemp seeds, that is.

Not one to miss out on a natural-ingredient trend, Body Shop is introducing
a line of hemp products this summer. The company intends to make the most of
the herb's rich and varied history.

"The first draft of the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp
paper," a spokeswoman says. "We intend to recycle that wisdom."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett