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Laura Drotleff

Laura has specialized in agricultural journalism for the past 20 years. Most recently she served as the editor of a B2B publication and multimedia properties focused on productivity, efficiency and profitability in commercial greenhouse cultivation. She has reported on multiple aspects of specialty crops including floriculture, fruit, vegetables, citrus and cannabis. She also has served extensively on various horticulture industry association boards. Laura is a Michigan State University graduate and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

SBA urges USDA to extend new hemp production comment period to 60 days

Published September 17, 2020

A federal agency is urging agriculture officials to allow time for public comment for proposed national hemp production rules.

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Iconic Playboy brand launches new CBD intimacy product line

Published September 16, 2020

American publishing icon Playboy has entered the CBD marketplace with a line of products that aims to enhance intimacy and sexual wellness.

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hawaii dispensaries

Hawaii, Virginia eliminate in-state hemp regulation while USDA approves Utah and tribal production plans

Published September 14, 2020

Two more states – Hawaii and Virginia – have opted to halt regulation of their production plans, meaning growers in those states will now need to apply for a hemp production license directly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Ohio agriculture officials issue warning to CBD company making unlicensed products

Published September 4, 2020

An Ohio CBD company has been cited with a public health warning for making products without a state license.

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Scientists explain how liver study will provide FDA with ‘real world’ data on CBD

Published September 3, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Two scientists have been chosen to lead a third-party consumer research study on the effects of regular CBD use on humans, particularly focused on liver safety.

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Exclusive: Smokable hemp market worth up to $80 million for 2020, with fivefold growth predicted

Published September 2, 2020 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

Hemp operators say smokable hemp is one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative segments in the nascent hemp and CBD industry – and market analysts agree, with expectations that the market will experience fivefold growth in the next five years.

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Hemp in California: Battle for sound CBD regulations nears final stretch

Published August 25, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

A long-simmering dispute over hemp and CBD legislation in California is coming to a head, with a compromise bill possible this week.

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2020 Hemp Harvest Outlook: Production acreage decreases for first year since 2014 hemp pilot reestablished crop

Published August 24, 2020 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

Because of regulatory uncertainty, a vast oversupply in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic, licensed hemp acreage decreased year-over-year for the first time since the 2014 Farm Bill established a national hemp pilot program.

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Another hemp group implores FDA to regulate CBD, with acceptable guidelines, for consumer safety

Published August 21, 2020

Hemp advocates have been sending their own recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help direct the agency’s CBD working group in establishing an enforcement discretion policy for CBD products.

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Pandemic-embattled Colorado hemp and CBD company purchased by California CBD maker

Published August 20, 2020

A California-based consumer products company has purchased a vertically integrated hemp and CBD producer headquartered in Grand Junction, Colorado.

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CBD smokeless dip company hires veteran tobacco executive

Published August 18, 2020

A California CBD company specializing on the smokeless dip market has named a former Altria executive as its new CEO.

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USDA: Hemp farmers didn’t lose enough money to receive coronavirus assistance

Published August 14, 2020

Federal agriculture officials have determined that hemp farmers do not qualify for coronavirus assistance, according to a notification of funding availability updated on the Federal Register on Friday.

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