PAT DUPREE, WHO PREVIOUSLY SOLD HEMP PRODUCTS IN NORTH CAROLINA,
OPENS DOWNTOWN LOVELAND STORE

For years, Loveland resident Pat Dupree wanted to re-enter the
business of selling products all made from hemp.

In 1993, Dupree had opened a shop in Chapel Hill, N.C., that lasted
only six months because he could not obtain any quality products, he
said. Plus, he had a family to raise, he added.

In July, a month after moving to Colorado, Dupree opened Totally Hemp
Co. in Loveland to sell clothes, paper, material, art canvases,
jewelry and other products made from hemp.

"It's kind of always been a burning passion," said Dupree, who now is
separated and has two adult children. "I think retail is the best way
to get the message out about the versatility of the plant."

Colorado is one of 14 states that distinguishes hemp from marijuana,
Dupree said.

Hemp, the fibers of the plant, is not used as an illegal substance
but for industrial and commercial purposes, such as in foods,
cosmetics and medicines, Dupree said.

Marijuana, which comes from the leaves and flowers of the same
cannabis plant as hemp, has a higher amount of delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive substance, than does hemp.

"It's genetically different," Dupree said. "It can be grown in most
conditions without chemicals and pesticides."

Hemp can be recycled seven to eight times, compared with paper that
can be recycled three times, Dupree said.

"It's the strongest natural fiber," Dupree said. "The more it gets
wet, the more it bonds to itself; whereas other fibers unravel."

Dupree believes that Loveland is ready for a shop that sells hemp products.

"I've gotten good traffic even though I don't get a lot of sales,"
Dupree said, adding that the feedback from customers has been
positive. "They like what I have."

One customer asked Dupree for medical marijuana, but Dupree does not
sell the product legalized in Colorado.

Dupree, who has a card, smokes medical marijuana to help treat
glaucoma, he said.

"It's the only treatment for it," he said. "Because I smoke pot, it
hasn't gotten worse."