Verano to Welcome Ohio Adult Use Cannabis Customers on August 6th at Company’s Zen Leaf Dispensaries to Commemorate Historic End of Cannabis Prohibition in the Buckeye State

Company Also Confirms Sixth Ohio Zen Leaf Dispensary Location in Antwerp – Near Indiana Border and City of Ft. Wayne, IN – Will Open in Near Future

CHICAGO, Aug. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verano Holdings Corp. (Cboe CA: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) (“Verano” or the “Company”), a leading multi-state cannabis company, today announced that after obtaining all required approvals, the Company will commence adult use cannabis sales in Ohio on Tuesday, August 6^th at four of its five statewide Zen Leaf retail locations in Bowling Green, Canton, Cincinnati, and Dayton, with its Newark location expected to follow pending approval from state officials. Established in 2018, Verano’s Ohio operations also include a state-of-the-art 22,000 square foot cultivation and processing facility in Canton. Verano will also open a sixth Zen Leaf dispensary in Antwerp, Ohio, located within a 30-minute drive of Ft Wayne, Indiana, near the state border.

Nationally, Verano’s active operations span 13 states, comprised of 142 dispensaries and 13 cultivation and processing facilities with more than 1 million square feet of cultivation capacity. On July 29^th, Verano announced an agreement with The Cannabist Company to acquire its Eastern Virginia operations subsidiary and its Arizona operations subsidiaries which, upon closing, will raise Verano’s geographic footprint to 14 states, 15 cultivation and production facilities, and 150 dispensaries nationwide.

“Today marks a significant step forward for Ohio, and the nation at large, as we celebrate the end of cannabis prohibition and turn the page on a new chapter that will deliver countless benefits for the Buckeye State in the form of job creation, economic development, investment, state and local revenue, and social progress,” said George Archos, Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re honored to participate in this historic milestone, and proud to stand alongside Ohioans as we make history together.”

Verano offers a wide range of high quality cannabis products sold at its Zen Leaf Ohio locations and third-party retailers throughout the state, including Verano^™ Reserve flower; Savvy™ and Nectar flower, vaporizers, and cured resin edibles and extracts; BITS^™ low-dose, high-function edibles; Encore^™ Edibles hand-crafted cannabis gummies, hard candies, mints, caramels and chocolates; and Avexia^™ topical lotion, balm, bath soaks, tinctures, and RSO products that are made to effortlessly enhance any self-care routine.

Current business hours at Zen Leaf Ohio locations in Canton, Cincinnati, Dayton and Newark are Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Zen Leaf Bowling Green is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (closed Sunday). For more information, visit Verano.com and ZenLeafDispensaries.com.

***MEDIA: Verano and Zen Leaf Assets, Contacts, and Dispensary Ribbon Cuttings***

• Zen Leaf will hold celebratory ribbon cuttings with state and local officials on August 6^th
• For interview requests, and to attend a ribbon cutting at a Zen Leaf dispensary, please contact Grace.Bondy@Verano.com & Steve.Mazeika@Verano.com
• Verano / Zen Leaf Ohio Images
• Verano / Zen Leaf Video B-Roll; Product, Brand, Logo and Employee Images Available via the Verano Company Newsroom (“Media Center” bottom of website): https://investors.verano.com/Company-Newsroom/default.aspx

About Verano

Verano Holdings Corp. (Cboe CA: 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 provides a superior cannabis shopping experience in medical and adult use markets under the Zen Leaf^™ and MÜV^™ dispensary banners, including Cabbage Club^™, an innovative annual membership program offering exclusive benefits for cannabis consumers. Verano produces a comprehensive suite of high-quality, regulated cannabis products sold under its diverse portfolio of trusted consumer brands including Verano^™, (the) Essence^™, MÜV^™, Savvy^™, BITS^™, Encore^™, and Avexia^™. Verano’s active operations span 13 U.S. states, comprised of 13 production facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet of cultivation capacity. Learn more at 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 contains “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, strategies, 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, 2023 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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