Mr. Rick Wilkins reports

AWH CELEBRATES THE OPENING OF 4TH DISPENSARY IN OHIO

Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc. has opened an Ascend dispensary outlet, located at 1206 Recker Rd., Piqua, Ohio. The dispensary will be Ascend's fourth in the state of Ohio and 34th across its seven-state footprint.

In 2022, Ascend entered into a definitive agreement providing it the option to acquire 100 per cent of the equity of Ohio Patient Access LLC (OPA). In addition to the Piqua provisional licence, OPA owns and will operate two other provisionally licensed dispensaries; one operating dispensary in Sandusky, Ohio, and one in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is expected to open in the coming weeks. Until close, Ascend will benefit from the economics under a support service agreement with OPA.

The Piqua dispensary will be open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The dispensary will offer medical products and accept both cash and debit cards through provided cashless ATM terminals. Via Ascend's support relationship with OPA, this is Ascend's second outlet store in the state, offering everyday low pricing and discounts. Ascend is proud to offer a wide range of products at everyday low prices, including a variety of cannabis strains, edibles, tinctures, topicals and other cannabis-infused products.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the opening of the store, Rick Wilkins, chief of stores at Ascend Wellness Holdings, stated: "The opening of the Piqua location is an exciting development, enabling us to broaden access to high-quality cannabis for Ohio patients at consistently affordable prices. We are proud to offer everyday low prices to our consumers and are thankful for the strong partnership with the community and the opportunity to contribute to improved living through cannabis. The opening of the Piqua dispensary outlet marks our fourth dispensary and second outlet in the state of Ohio, and we eagerly look forward to further extending our presence in Ohio with the upcoming opening of our Cincinnati store in the coming days. We are also excited about the prospect of welcoming recreational customers, which we anticipate will be possible by the end of 2024, pending regulatory developments."

The location is equipped with ample parking, making it easily accessible for residents and visitors to the area. Patients must hold an active Ohio medical marijuana card to purchase medical cannabis products at the Piqua dispensary. Ascend has the future rights to ownership of both dispensaries, subject to regulatory approval.

Grand opening events

Ascend will be celebrating the opening of this dispensary with a special event. For more information, sign up for alerts on-line at Ascend's website.

About Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc.

Ascend is a vertically integrated operator with assets in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Ascend owns and operates state-of-the-art cultivation facilities, growing award-winning strains and producing a curated selection of products for retail and wholesale customers. Ascend produces and distributes its in-house Common Goods, Simply Herb, Ozone, Ozone Reserve, Tunnel Vision and Royale branded products.

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