Verano to Welcome Cannabis Customers at Zen Leaf Retail Locations on July 1 to Commemorate Historic Launch of Adult Use Sales in Maryland

CHICAGO, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) (“Verano” or the “Company”), a leading multi-state cannabis company, today announced that on Saturday, July 1, the Company will commence adult use cannabis sales in Maryland at its four Zen Leaf retail locations across the state beginning at 9 a.m. ET local time. Verano will welcome state and local leaders at its Zen Leaf Elkridge location, and participation from local Chambers of Commerce across all locations, for ceremonial ribbon cuttings prior to welcoming the state’s first adult use customers and commemorating the end of cannabis prohibition in Maryland.

Established in 2017, Verano’s Maryland operations include a state-of-the-art 38,000 square foot cultivation and processing facility in Jessup, and the Company’s four Zen Leaf retail locations in Elkridge, Germantown, Pasadena and Towson. Nationally, Verano’s active operations span 13 states, comprised of 130 dispensaries and 14 cultivation and processing facilities with more than 1 million square feet of cultivation capacity.

“July 1, 2023 marks an historic moment for Marylanders who overwhelmingly voted to end cannabis prohibition, opening the door for increased revenue, investment, job creation and social progress that will benefit communities across the state for years to come,” said George Archos, Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Thank you to the residents of Maryland, Governor Moore, Delegates C.T. Wilson and Vanessa E. Atterbeary, Senators Brian J. Feldman and Antonio Hayes, the Maryland Cannabis Administration and countless commissioners statewide for making this historic day in the Old Line State a reality.”

Darren Weiss, President of Verano, added: “On behalf of Verano and Zen Leaf, we’re ready and excited to welcome adult use cannabis consumers in my home state of Maryland to celebrate this momentous occasion and serve our extensive array of high quality products for an entirely new customer base. As a long-standing operator in the state, I’m proud of our talented team members, and excited to witness the positive effects that safe, legal cannabis will provide as a catalyst for social and economic progress here in Maryland and a growing number of states nationwide.”

Verano offers a wide range of high quality cannabis products sold at its Zen Leaf Maryland locations, including Verano^™ Reserve and Essence flower, Swift Lift mini pre-rolled joints, extracts and vaporizers; Savvy^™ flower and vaporizers, larger-format cannabis products catering to more value-driven patients and consumers; BITS^™ low-dose, high-function edibles; Encore^™ Edibles, hand-crafted cannabis gummies, hard candies, mints, caramels and chocolates; and Avexia^™ topicals, tablets, tinctures and RSO products that are made to effortlessly enhance any self-care routine.

In conjunction with the launch of adult use sales, current business hours at Zen Leaf locations in Maryland are Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on Verano and Zen Leaf, visit Verano.com and ZenLeafDispensaries.com.

**Verano and Zen Leaf Maryland images and video assets are available for media use with a credit “Courtesy of Verano” via the following link: Verano / Zen Leaf Maryland Images and Video**

**Media are invited to attend a pre-celebration and dispensary tour Saturday, July 1 at Zen Leaf Elkridge (6000 Marshalee Dr, Elkridge, MD 21075) starting at 8 a.m. ET before opening for business at 9 a.m. ET – please contact Grace.Bondy@Verano.com and Steve.Mazeika@Verano.com**

About Verano
Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF), one of the U.S. cannabis industry’s leading companies based on historical revenue, geographic scope and brand performance, is a vertically integrated, multi-state operator embracing a mission of saying Yes to plant progress and the bold exploration of cannabis. Verano offers a superior cannabis shopping experience in medical and adult use markets under the Zen Leaf^™ and MÜV^™ dispensary banners and produces a comprehensive suite of high-quality, regulated cannabis products sold under its diverse portfolio of trusted consumer brands including Verano^™, MÜV^™, Savvy^™, BITS^™, Encore^™, and Avexia^™. Verano’s active operations span 13 U.S. states, comprised of 14 production facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet of cultivation capacity. Learn more at www.verano.com.

Contacts:

Media
Verano
Grace Bondy
Senior Manager, Communications
Grace.Bondy@verano.com

Investors
Verano
Julianna Paterra, CFA
Vice President, Investor Relations
Julianna.Paterra@verano.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company’s beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. Generally, such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “future”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “projects” “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “will continue”, “will occur” or “will be achieved”. Forward-looking statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements herein, including, without limitation, the risk factors described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except as may be required in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice regarding forward-looking information and statements.

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