Verano Announces the Opening of Zen Leaf Norwich, the Company’s First Social Equity Joint Venture Location in Connecticut and Third Cannabis Dispensary Statewide

• Situated in the eastern Connecticut city of 40,000 residents¹, Zen Leaf Norwich is the first of six planned social equity joint venture dispensaries Verano plans to open across the state
• Zen Leaf Norwich will welcome both medical patients and adult use customers, and joins Verano’s existing Connecticut operations including Zen Leaf dispensaries in Meriden and Waterbury, and CTPharma, a state-of-the-art, 217,000 square foot cultivation and processing facility in Rocky Hill
• The dispensary is located at 606 W Main Street, a thoroughfare with an average daily traffic count of 17,100 vehicles²
• Verano’s active operations span 13 states, comprised of 132 dispensaries and 14 cultivation and processing facilities with more than 1 million square feet of cultivation capacity 

CHICAGO, July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) (“Verano” or the “Company”), a leading multi-state cannabis company, today announced the opening of Zen Leaf Norwich, the Company’s first social equity joint venture location in Connecticut and third cannabis dispensary statewide, on Friday, July 14 at 9 a.m. local time. Zen Leaf Norwich, located at 606 W Main Street, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In opening Zen Leaf Norwich, Verano received support for the Company’s approved social equity plan by several local organizations, including Connecticut Foodshare, Global City Norwich, the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce, the Norwich Branch of the NAACP, the Norwich Community Development Corporation, and the City of Norwich. 

“As our first social equity joint venture dispensary in Connecticut, opening Zen Leaf Norwich allows us to contribute to equitable growth within the cannabis industry as the program continues to expand across the state,” said George Archos, Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to play a role in helping right historical wrongs resulting from decades of cannabis prohibition, which has adversely impacted countless communities across Connecticut and the nation at large. I would like to thank the Department of Consumer Protection and the Social Equity Council, our team members, partners, customers, the Norwich community, and local social equity and advocacy organizations for their support as we launch this exciting new venture.”

Verano’s expanding vertical operations in Connecticut encompass CTPharma, a state-of-the-art, 217,000 square foot cultivation and processing facility in Rocky Hill that produces a variety of Connecticut’s most popular cannabis products, and Zen Leaf dispensaries in Meriden (hybrid), Norwich (hybrid) and Waterbury (presently medical-only). Including Zen Leaf Norwich, the Company plans to open a total of six social equity joint venture dispensaries across Connecticut with its social equity partners in the months ahead, subject to obtaining all customary approvals, which would raise Verano’s total retail footprint to eight stores statewide. 

Connecticut adult use customers and medical patients can visit Verano.com for more information and may browse the Company’s extensive portfolio of high-quality cannabis products and place orders online for in-store pickup via ZenLeafDispensaries.com. Members of the media can access downloadable images, corporate information and an archive of Company press releases via Investors.Verano.com.