They spent a year conducting research and formulating a business plan before they launched the store, Fry said. We wanted to stay true to environmental practices. U.S. Manufacturers can import hemp from countries such as Canada, Australia and China. But because it is a relative of the marijuana plant, hemp is illegal to grow in the United States. In many states, however, a growing support for hemp and its uses, which include clothing, body-care products, food and paper, has taken root.
Supporters point to the hemp fiber's versatility and the plant's hardiness.
For example, almost half of the agricultural chemicals used on U.S. crops are applied to cotton, but hemp supporters say their crop can grow without herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. Candi Penn, executive secretary of the California-based Hemp Industries Association, said hemp has gone from a niche market used by a few fringe groups to a mainstream product found in The Body Shop. There is a difference between hemp and marijuana, and we should be able to grow it. Fry said many of the hemp soaps and other items in his store are made by Salem residents. And while Fry and Mitchell see themselves as educators on the benefits of hemp, they also hope to make a living eventually from the store.