EMAIL: laurad@staging-hempindustrydaily.kinsta.cloud
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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.

Hemp for animal feed: Economic potential waits out legal maneuvering

Published August 2, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Given hemp’s new legal status, many farmers and livestock producers want to explore cannabis for animal feed and the research that suggests its nutritional and developmental benefits. But they’re facing market and legal uncertainties that are familiar to those making hemp products for people. A 2017 Colorado study cited “a lack of domestic economic data” […]

Hemp commodity exchanges scramble to offer vetted trading platforms

Published August 1, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

It’s August, and though national hemp production rules have yet to be released, the industry continues to develop new business options to fill the void for trade within the space. One new offering says it can give the entire hemp supply chain a way to verify advertised industrial products. PanXchange’s trading platform, which launched Thursday, said […]

Canopy breaks ground on hemp industrial park in New York

Published July 29, 2019

One of the largest cannabis companies in the world made a significant move into the U.S. hemp industry Monday by breaking ground on a new industrial park for hemp processing in New York. Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth Corp., based in Smiths Falls, Ontario, unveiled plans for a $150 million hemp industrial park in Kirkwood […]

Sol Global increases ownership stake in CBD firm HeavenlyRx

Published July 29, 2019

Cannabis investment company Sol Global Investments purchased additional common shares to raise its ownership in its CBD-focused wellness subsidiary HeavenlyRx to 44.53%. As part of a larger private offering, the Toronto-based international investment company announced Monday it spent an additional 23.9 million Canadian dollars ($18.1 million) on HeavenlyRx. The announcement comes just weeks after Sol […]

Curaleaf scrubs website for medical claims following FDA warning

Published July 29, 2019

After federal regulators warned cannabis giant Curaleaf last week against making unsubstantiated medical claims for its CBD products, the company has taken action. The Massachusetts cannabis company removed its blog and deleted social media posts and articles on its website saying its products can be used to treat medical conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic […]

Michigan hemp farmers worry privacy law could hurt business

Published July 29, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Some in Michigan’s fledgling hemp industry are concerned that a state privacy law preventing agriculture officials from disclosing hemp farmers’ identities and locations could negatively affect their businesses. As a stipulation under the 2018 Farm Bill, applicants who seek to produce and process hemp must give their GPS coordinates. But the Michigan attorney general’s office […]

South Carolina law enforcement cracks down on smokable hemp

Published July 26, 2019

In the latest blow dealt to the burgeoning smokable hemp flower market in the Southeast United States, South Carolina law enforcement officials are requiring retailers across the state to pull raw, unprocessed hemp products from their store shelves. The action comes after an opinion handed down from the State Attorney General’s office on July 10 […]

North Carolina lawmakers vote to delay smokable hemp ban

Published July 26, 2019

Another set of policymakers in North Carolina has signed off on banning smokable hemp until December 2020 in hopes that tests will be developed by then to distinguish the plant from marijuana. The state House Judiciary Committee voted to approve the original measure passed by the Senate, which would make smokable hemp legal until December […]

‘Imperative to have mainstream experience’ in the growing CBD sector: Q&A with HeavenlyRx CEO Paul Norman

Published July 26, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

As hemp and CBD companies increasingly lure executive-level talent away from mainstream corporations, many are coming from large food companies. The Kellogg Co. is one of them. The $13 billion food giant recently saw three of its executives leave for positions in the cannabis space, including Paul Norman, a former president of Kellogg North America, […]

FDA issues Curaleaf CBD claims warning as calls mount to accelerate rulemaking

Published July 23, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Federal drug authorities issued a warning Tuesday to one of the largest cannabis companies in the U.S. for how it is marketing and selling its CBD products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to Curaleaf, a vertically integrated marijuana and hemp company based in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The FDA accused Curaleaf […]

Fiber, grain varieties bring distinct storage needs for hemp producers

Published July 17, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Traditionally, industrial hemp has two main commercial uses: food and fiber.

The two uses have distinctly different storage needs.

Hemp farmers searching for flower-storage solutions

Published July 16, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Storing hemp properly is arguably as important as planting, harvesting or any other step in the cultivation process, because it can be just as crucial to farmers looking to turn a profit.