EMAIL: laurad@staging-hempindustrydaily.kinsta.cloud
PHONE: 720.213.5963

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.

Texas Senate unanimously approves industrial hemp, CBD legislation

Published May 16, 2019

The push to legalize hemp and CBD products in Texas cleared another legislative hurdle with the state Senate’s unanimous approval of a bill to allow production and sales. The proposed Texas hemp bill, which also passed unanimously in the state House last month, would not only legalize CBD in the state but would also allow […]

‘Distinct products, distinct plants – that’s the only way’: Part 2 of a Q&A with CV Sciences exec Doug Mackay

Published May 15, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

As the hemp industry anticipates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) first public hearing to start the process of regulating hemp extracts such as CBD in food, beverages and cosmetics, among others, a former dietary supplement executive now working with San Diego-based CBD manufacturer CV Sciences offers insight on regulatory compliance. In Part 1 […]

Multistate producer Hemptown ready to scale hemp production, processing sites with $23 million capital raise

Published May 15, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemptown USA, a multistate hemp producer and CBD company, completed a $23 million round of financing last week, allowing it to move forward with ambitious expansion plans in Colorado, Kentucky, Northern California and Oregon. The company will use the raise to purchase $5.5 million worth of Oregon CBD seeds. The rest will be used to: […]

‘Be at the table, or you’re on the plate’: Part 1 of a Q&A with CV Sciences exec Doug Mackay

Published May 14, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

For a CBD company looking to see its products sold alongside traditional supplements and functional foods, what better place to look than a longtime executive from the natural-products world? In late March, San Diego-based CBD manufacturer CV Sciences brought on Douglas Mackay, a naturopathic doctor and former senior vice president with the Council for Responsible […]

Colombian medical marijuana producer approved to export topical CBD products

Published May 13, 2019

Blueberries Medical, a Bogota-based medical cannabis producer, has been cleared to produce and export CBD products from Colombian food and drug surveillance regulator Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA). The five-product suite is Blueberries’ initial entry in the CBD market and includes creams, lip balm and shampoo. The company plans to launch […]

HemPoland gains access to German CBD market through distribution agreement

Published May 13, 2019

European CBD producer HemPoland signed a distribution agreement with pharmaceutical distributor Mediakos to enter the German CBD market.

Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store opening CBD beauty store within salon

Published May 10, 2019

The Saks Fifth Avenue department store chain announced that it will sell CBD skin-care products and nutritional supplements at its new salon in New York. The department store will include a CBD Beauty Corner at the chain’s flagship store’s salon, called The Salon Project. The new shop-in-shop concept launches on May 11 for Mother’s Day weekend, […]

States move forward on hemp while USDA develops federal rules

Published May 7, 2019 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

Afraid of missing hot opportunities in hemp while the federal government mulls national rules, states are adopting a surprising number of laws to start or expand hemp production. Most states already allow hemp cultivation, but 2019 has seen many of the hemp holdouts adopt cultivation laws, while more established hemp states are expanding opportunities to […]

Federal agency: CBD not allowed in alcoholic beverages

Published May 6, 2019

CBD is not a permitted ingredient in alcoholic beverages under current federal guidelines, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). The TTB, which falls under the U.S. Department of the Treasury that regulates alcoholic beverage and other industries, responded to a barrage of questions from alcohol and hemp industry members about whether […]

Hemp industry awaits more hemp import, export guidelines

Published April 29, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemp entrepreneurs are still waiting to realize the benefits of being able to import hempseed as a commodity, even as they cheer recent assurance from the federal government that change is on the way. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new guidance this month on how hemp importing will work now that federal drug […]

Europe’s hemp definition, ‘novel foods’ designation cloud region’s potentially booming CBD market

Published April 25, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

European hemp producers and manufacturers are struggling to capitalize on the global CBD boom and compete with U.S. manufacturers as they navigate the continent’s thorny regulations – but they’re optimistic that upcoming changes will open new CBD opportunities. The hemp and CBD industry wants the European Union to change its Common Agricultural Policy, which governs food […]

In groundbreaking move, USDA ready to protect seed-propagated hemp genetics

Published April 24, 2019

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ready to protect seed-propagated hemp varieties, a landmark move that could generate numerous business opportunities for breeders of the plant. The USDA announced Wednesday that its Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) is taking hemp applications because of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Intellectual-property protection for hemp genetics comes […]