98 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
98 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
This article originally appeared in the San Francisco Bay
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Guardian in November, 1992. Reproduced here with the permission
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of the author (who retains the copyright)
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The Cannabis Center and Hemporium
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by Mari Kane, 860 2nd Street, SF CA, 94107-2019
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If you're looking for the ultimate in green commodities look no
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further than your local hemporium.
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For years educated hempsters have known about the versatile uses
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of cannabis, and now, the market has woken up and smelled the
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weed!
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At the vanguard of hemp retailing stands the Cannabis Center and
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Hemporium. Less like the traditional psych shop- where potheads
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browse amid black lite posters and water pipes- and more like a
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general store, offering the basic goods of everyday life. But forget
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about getting high from smoking a hemp hanky, it's not going to
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happen There's not enough THC in these productsto give you
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anything but a wicked headache.
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The hemporium features an on-site "Fabric Artist" named Gilbert,
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who will custom-make garments of your fancy using 100% hemp
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fabric, imported from China. The material bears a striking
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resemblance to linen with it's natural color, abundance of
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irregularities, and it's propensity to wrinkling. The heavy gauge
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hemp is stiff, which is better applied to outerwear such as jackets
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and coats. The lighter gauge has more flow, and is preferable for
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skirts, bathrobes, and even pyjamas.
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So what's so great about wearing hemp? "The durability", explains
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Gilbert, "the fact that it lasts twice as long as cotton is going to give
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the public a reason to demand it. Once the public demands it, we'll
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see different weaves like twill, to make jeans".
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China is the biggest supplier of hemp fabric in spite of the fact that
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their mills are working with 1930's American technology.. Hemp
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fiber is relatively inexpensive to buy, but the customs tax paid on
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imported hemp is upwards of 80%! Gilbert estimates that the price
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of hemp products would be halved by using American-grown hemp,
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and only then would he consider manufacturing a line of hempwear.
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As things are, a tailor-made blazer runs around $150.00, and shirts
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from $40.00 to $50.00. The store also carries Stoned-Wear
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hemp/cotton shorts for $35.00, Hemp Colony blended shirts at
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$45.00, and House Of Hemp 100% hemp hooded sweatshirts at
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$50.00.
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The Hemporium carries a variety of hemp paper, made in the USA
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from imported hemp fibers. From Portland comes Tree-Free
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Ecopaper, a hemp/ straw blend along the lines of a smooth
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newsprint. Unlike wood pulp, hemp paper is estimated to last 1500
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years without fading or deterioration. Imagine a copy of the Bay
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Guardian being around that long!
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Evanescent Press, in Legget California, produces luxurious art papers,
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all of which are stocked or can be ordered at the Hemporium.
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Evanescent makes a 16x20 replica of the Declaration of
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Independence- serving as a gentle reminder that the founding
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fathers wisely drafted the document on hemp, finalized it on inferior
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parchment- only $23.00.
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For health nuts, there is 100% Hemp seed oil, pressed in the good ol'
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U S of A from Indian hemp seeds. One drop of this nutritive oil goes
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a long way in a massage. Hungry? Whip it up in a tasty salad
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dressing to benefit from it's essential fatty acids. The most
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polyunsaturated oil on the planet runs a hefty $20.00 per 8.5 oz
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bottle. Or if you're feeling enterprising, get a 4 oz bag of seed for
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$3.95 , and squeeze out the oil yourself.
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For the devoted Deadhead on your list, there are tie-dyed hackysack
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balls of 100% hemp cloth, and stuffed with hemp seeds- $12.00.
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Green hemp baseball caps are available for $25.00-. small price
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considering your grandchildren might be wearing it someday.
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Slightly more subtle is the hemp hanky- natural colored, and
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inscribed with it's hemp content- at only $3.00.
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But the most intriguing item in the store is a 100% hemp rug.from
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China. This colorful, tight knotted, thick napped carpet looks and
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feels like a wool/silk blend. It is carved in the traditional Chinese
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style, with the chop "Ma"(hemp) emblazoned in jade green. A perfect
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meditation rug or a stylish doormat for $295.00.
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All of the partners at the Cannabis Center and Hemporium are active
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in the hemp movement, and offer something for free- knowledge.
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The Cannabis Center and Hemporium
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442A Haight Street near Fillmore
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415-552-7487
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Hours: Thursday- Sunday, Noon-7pm
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