Mr. George Archos reports

VERANO ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF ZEN LEAF NORWICH, THE COMPANY'S FIRST SOCIAL EQUITY JOINT VENTURE LOCATION IN CONNECTICUT AND THIRD CANNABIS DISPENSARY STATEWIDE

Verano Holdings Corp. will open 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 St., 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 the company's website for more information and may browse the company's extensive portfolio of high-quality cannabis products and place orders on-line for in-store pickup via the Zen Leaf Dispensaries website.

About Verano Holdings Corp.

Verano Holdings, one of the U.S. cannabis industry's leading companies based on historical revenue, geographic scope and brand performance, is a vertically integrated, multistate 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 MUV dispensary banners and produces a comprehensive suite of high-quality, regulated cannabis products sold under its diverse portfolio of trusted consumer brands including Verano, MUV, Savvy, BITS, Encore and Avexia. Verano's active operations span 13 U.S. states, comprising 14 production facilities with over one million square feet of cultivation capacity.

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