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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.

More states abandon federal hemp oversight before USDA rolls out bare-bones application

Published February 5, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

As the U.S. hemp industry waits to see what happens next with the federal hemp production program, more state-run programs have decided to keep the status quo for another year. Less than a week after the U.S. Department of Agriculture closed a public comment period on its hemp rules, five more states announced they will […]

Montana, North Dakota keeping old rules for 2020 hemp production season

Published February 3, 2020

Two more top hemp states have decided to operate their 2020 hemp production programs under the rules of the 2014 Farm Bill. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture closed the public comment period last week on its interim final rule for hemp production, regulators in Montana and North Dakota said they will keep their current rules. Montana, […]

CBD user data? There’s an app for that, and the results are headed to FDA

Published January 28, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

A cannabis sector-focused health and wellness research company is leading an industry-sponsored liver-toxicity study to deliver aggregated, “real-world experience” data that will help answer federal health officials’ safety concerns about consumer use of CBD. After a December meeting with federal officials responsible for regulating CBD in which ValidCare presented initial consumer-experience data collected through its […]

Beyond the Dispensary: Transparency key to developing consumer trust in CBD brands

Published January 27, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Despite federal food and drug officials’ warnings that CBD isn’t safe for foodstuffs and dietary supplements, retailers continue to stock hemp-derived CBD products.

Maryland, Vermont extend pilot programs for 2020 season

Published January 24, 2020

Two more states have opted to operate their 2020 hemp production seasons under the 2014 pilot program, bringing to nine the total markets that will keep the existing rules in play for another year. Maryland and Vermont will extend the pilot program under the rules of the 2014 Farm Bill, according to the U.S. Department […]

Colorado State University to study chemical compounds of hemp

Published January 24, 2020

A research center at Colorado State University (CSU) dedicated to studying the chemical compounds in hemp and marijuana is expected to open this spring, school officials said. The research facility on the CSU campus in Fort Collins, Colorado, will allow faculty and students to study the formulation of cannabinoids, separation efficiencies and efficacy testing. “Cannabinoids […]

Reminder: USDA interim final rule comment period to close in one week

Published January 22, 2020

In December, federal officials gave the U.S. hemp industry 30 more days to provide feedback on new production rules, but that extra time is coming to a close. Hemp farmers, hemp businesses, associations and industry allies that haven’t yet submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) interim final rule for the U.S. Hemp […]

Arizona climate blamed for ‘off the charts’ THC failure in first hemp crops

Published January 21, 2020

Arizona producers might have geography to blame for joining hemp farmers across the country who have had to destroy their 2019 crops after the plants tested positive for elevated levels of THC. About 41% of the state’s hemp plants tested above the 0.3% legal THC limit, according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Plant Services Division, […]

Kentucky will operate 2020 hemp program under existing rules

Published January 21, 2020

Kentucky plans to extend the state’s hemp pilot program for the 2020 growing season, effectively withdrawing its application to get federal approval for its regulations to grow the plant. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said Tuesday the state will use this year to transition the hemp program from pilot research to commercial production while continuing discussions […]

Here’s why states are keeping their pilot hemp programs through 2020

Published January 20, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Timing, testing and the lack of in-state access to drug-registered laboratories were among the reasons state agriculture officials in six states said their hemp programs will be run under the 2014 pilot research program this year instead of submitting a 2020 hemp production plan under the new proposed federal rules. “We looked at all the […]

Despite submitting plan to USDA, Georgia budget crunch could stifle hemp goals

Published January 16, 2020

Georgia has authorized hemp farming and submitted its 2020 production plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But to run a program, the state will first need funding. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black is asking state lawmakers for $1.6 million – $800,000 per year over the next two years – to create a state […]

Hemp states running pilot programs in 2020 starting to ask for deadline extensions

Published January 16, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Six state agriculture departments have opted to run their 2020 hemp production programs under the existing rules, and the number could grow as the spring planting season approaches and federal agriculture officials reject more state plans. Now those states want some assurances that their hemp farmers can harvest their plants under those same rules in […]