Hemp shop opens in Sparta

SPARTA -- Sussex County has its first specialized hemp shop, Canna Campus, located at 354 Lafayette Road (Route 15) about 300-400 miles north of the plantations of Mount Vernon and Monticello.

Why talk about the plantations of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?

Well, since early Colonial days, Americans grew hemp and those plantations had several fields growing what was called hemp in those days.

Even into the early 1900s, hemp was a common commodity in the U.S., with the plant's fibers used for products ranging from rope for naval sailing ships to cloth spun and woven in many homes.

It was also used as food -- much like wheat, the seeds were ground into flour. Other products included paper, canvas and grain sacks.

The types of plants known as hemp have been cultivated by man for 10,000 years.

For nearly as long, another plant, with properties that caused intoxication and hallucinations when burned was used in religious ceremonies. Recently archeologists have discovered 2,500-year-old evidence of its use in burial ceremonies in China.

It wasn't until the early 1900s when scientists discovered the chemical in cannibis plants which causes a "high." The plant now known as marijuana is high in the substance known as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

There is also the chemical cannabidiol, or CBD, found in what is now classified as hemp, and has apparent medicinal value for issues such as anxiety, pain and seizures. It has also been found to be useful in management of epilepsy and irritable bowel disease.

In 2018, the federal government legalized hemp but kept marijuana as a controlled substance and, as government does, set a dividing line between what is federally legal and what is federally illegal.

Any plant with more than 0.3 percent of THC, in a dry weight, is illegal under federal standards and classified as marijuana.

Plants with less than 0.3 percent THC are legally classified as hemp and are legal, with growers cross-breeding strains to raise the level of CB, especially in the plant's flowers and buds where the chemical is highly concentrated.

Treatment for her Crohn's disease got Rachel Bennett, an owner of Canna Campus, into uses of CBD, along with her experiences as a registered nurse working in pediatrics and geriatrics.

Scott Begraft, the other co-owner, said with the legalization of "hemp" and the growing popularity of products containing CBD, "you see them popping up in gas stations, grocery stores, places like that."

But what are people buying there?

"Ah that's where our niche in the industry is; we will teach you about its uses and have quality product," he said.

Although the shop has been open only a couple of months, Bennett said she has already given one seminar on CBD and hemp oil at the Sparta Library and a second session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., on June 26. The session is free, but reservations through the library are requested.

The Sussex County Library has also been in contact about conducting workshops at some of their branches, she said, and the store offers its own classes. Details are on the website.

The shop staff also includes Lori Breen, a massage therapist.

Bennett said the education goes on all the time in the shop as customers, curious because they have heard of the benefits of CDB, end up in one-on-one conversations.

But, she also stressed, "we are not allowed to diagnose."

Begraft said quality control is a big plus for the store with each of the manufacturers required to provide results of batch testing.

"We ask for the company's own batch test and a third party test," he said. "And it's tested (for quality and concentration) at each step. The hemp flower is tested;. When made into oil, it's tested. The final product is tested."

A walk around the shop's display rooms is a tour of hemp oil products in a variety of forms. There are gummies and lollipops; creams and lip balm; body lotions and massage oils.

There are also shampoos and body washes and hemp soap for "stress relief" and, of course, straight tinctures for putting a drop under the tongue or in a cup of tea.

And, yes, there's a variety of teas available as well.

And one case full of products for pets.

The shop also features non-CDB items from local vendors, such as maple syrup and candles.

"I think the business will do well," said Begraft said. "People are realizing this really works."

"And you can't get high. It's legal," added Bennett.

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Canna Campus is located at 354 Lafayette Road (Route 15), Sparta. Call 973-383-2739 or visit www.MyCannaCampus.com. Open most days 10 a.m.-6 p.m.