Chicago-based multistate cannabis company Verano Holdings is opening its fifth marijuana dispensary in the state later this week, the company announced.
Zen Leaf Naugatuck, a hybrid dispensary serving both medical patients and adult-use customers located at 585 South Main St., is scheduled to open Friday morning as Verano’s third social equity joint venture cannabis storefront in the state and fifth overall in Connecticut.
To prepare for the opening, company officials said they’ve hired 20 new local employees to help run the shop. As part of the company’s social equity plan, Verano officials said they’ll fund several youth education initiatives in the surrounding area.
Verano plans to open three more social equity joint venture dispensaries across the state in the future. The company also owns and operates CTPharma, a 217,000-square-foot cultivation facility in Rocky Hill that the company purchased in 2021. The company’s other Zen Leaf dispensaries are located in Meriden, Newington, Norwich and Waterbury.