BY MICHAEL PULLEY
SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER

WHEN JOSEPH MORANT decided to open a retail boutique of hemp clothes and
fashion accessories, he was surprised to learn that no such stores existed
in Marin County even though 86 percent of Marin's voters supported
Proposition 215's legalization of medical marijuana.

Therefore it was easy for Morant, 26, and his partner, Cameron Brown, 32,
to decide to open Marin's first hemp storein Fairfax. Their store, Hemp
Matters, will begin peddling hemp clothing, shoes, bags and cosmetics at 17
Bolinas Road on Friday.

"Everyone I've spoken to has said you couldn't pick a better location to
open a hemp store in America, said Morant.

Actually, dozens of young entrepreneurs seem to think any location in the
nation is good for hemp. Stores that sell products made from the hemp
plant, or cannabis saliva, are spring ing up in virtually every city in 1
he country.

Actor and hemp activist Woody Harrelson was on hand when The City's latest
hemp outlet, FBHO, or Frankel Brothers Hemp Outfitters, opened in May at
3817 24th St.

Hemp products are made from a variety of the marijuana plant that has no
psychoactive qualities. Industrial use of the plant dates back to the dawn
of civilization. It played a vital role in the founding of the United
States when hemp was used for hundreds of items such as clothing and rope.

U.S. law has always allowed importation of hemp fibers or seeds for
industrial uses, but growing the benign variety of the plant is still
illegal. Hemp got caught in the net of the antidrug sentiment that swept
the country 60 years ago when Congress first declared war on pot with the
passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937.

Environmentally friendly

Since then, hemp's association with marijuana and the counterculture has
been a stigma blocking its mainstream acceptance Now the same association
appears to be at the heart of a new trend as attitudes have changed.

The growing acceptance of medical marijuana also has played a role in
focusing attention on industrial hemp, as has hemp's many environmentally
friendly qualities. The hardy plant can be grown with virtually no chemical
pesticides or fertilizers, while cotton depends heavily on agricultural
chemicals

Some people call hemp a new fashion fad. Others claim it's a revolution in
the making, but no one denies the explosive arrival of a fledgling industry
that shows no signs of moving back into the closet.

Sale of hemp products nationally are expected to top $100 million this
year, a 100 percent increase over last year, according to the Hemp
Industries A ociation, a 3yearold trade group based in the Sonoma
County town of Occidental.

Even large mainstream retailers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Adidas
have added hemp wear to their merchandising mix. Designer Gianni Versace
was working on a hemp clothing line before he was murdered.

"I send out at least 100 directories to people every month who are
interested in opening a store in every College Town, USA," said Candi Penn,
a Hemp Industry Association board member and staffer.

Burgeoning membership

The association began in 1994 when about 50 hemp retailers, wholesalers,
manufacturers and importers joined forces for networking and support. Since
then, membership has soared to 188. Twenty new retailers have signed on
since Jan. 1.

The next big development for the industry may be in political and legal
arenas. At least 16 states are considering the legalization of hemp
farming, according to a recent story in Hemp Times, a new magazine about
the fastgrowing industry.

Last year, the Vermont Legislature approved a study to determine the
agricultural and market potential for hemp in that state. An Orange
Countybased group known as the Campaign for Drug Policy Reform is
considering an industrial hemp initiative for California's November 1998
ballot.

Struggling U.S. farmers are emerging as the leading advocates for
hemp agriculture.Last year the majority of the delegates at the
national convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation voted in
support of hemp farming.

Regional groups like the Kentucky Hemp Growers Association and the
Denverbased Agricultural Hemp Association are lobbying on the local level.
They want to join hemp farmers in Canada, who were given the green light
two years ago to start growing hemp again. Most U.S. hemp now comes from
Eastern Europe and China.

Farmers argue that hemp would provide badly need farm jobs, replenish
chemically depleted soils and ease the U.S. trade deficit. It would also
lower prices for hemp products and stir sales, since import duties account
for as much as 10 percent of cost. Companies like International Paper and
Weyerhuser are considering the crop's

potential for paper and buildng materials.

Hemp's chief opponent is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,
which argues that hemp farming would interfere with its war against
marijuana. Advocates respond that the DEA is lighting a losing battle now
that an issue once considered a liberal cause is crossing political
boundaries.

Economic Issue

Raman Chauhan, 30, proprietor of a hemp manufacturing and importing company
in Sacramento, is a Republican who is dismayed by conservative politicians
who won't look at industrial hemp as an economic issue.

"We should look at all the money leaving this country, going into foreign
hands instead of our own economy," Chauhan said. "That should be the
biggest issue for lawmakers."

Chauhan entered the hemp business through a back door. Aarsea
International, the firm he launched four years ago, began importing Asian
handicrafts to wholesale to American retailers. Soon, sales of hemp
Tshirts and other hemp products outpaced all other merchandise offered by
Aarsea. Customers were rave stores and other faddish outlets that catered
to Generation Xers.

Sensing an opportunity, Chauhan established a manufacturing firm in Nepal,
where he employs 50 Tibetan refugees to make hemp clothing and accessories
for American stores under the trademark Himalayan Hemp. One of his most
popular items is a Betsy Ross American flag made from hemp, the fiber Ross
herself used when she aewed the original stars and stripes .

The industry's retailers claim their customers are as diverse as the
versatile hemp plant's fast growing product lines."It's across the board,"
said Bob Frankel, one of two brothers who own FBHO. "I have kids in their
late teens buying hats and twine and stuff. Then I have older women in
their 60s buying a lot of the garments."

Hemp sellers tend to view their trade as more than just business. They also
consider themselves political and environmental advocates, and they figure
they have a key role to play in touting the plant's benefits to a naive,
somewhat skeptical public.

As Morant works to open Hemp Matters, curious people interrupt him every
day, asking "Is this legal? How did you get it into the country?"

"I'm not afraid of telling anyone I've inhaled," he said. "I think if I
didn't have a passion for the plant, I probably wouldn't be opening a hemp
store now. And my passion for the plant is in enjoying its benefits to
humanity, whether they're recreational, medical or industrial."