CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RISE Dispensaries, a fast-growing cannabis retail chain owned by Green Thumb Industries (“Green Thumb”) (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), today announced that all RISE Dispensaries in participating markets will host a month-long 4/20 celebration including deals, exclusive product drops, store events, branded swag, a RISE e-cookbook and more.

To help customers and patients prepare for their upcoming 4/20 holiday gatherings, RISE has published “Smoke It. Eat It. Drink It.” The cannabis e-cookbook, available to adults 21 and over, can be found on RISEcannabis.com and features 25 THC-infused dishes and beverages, like No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies, Hot Honey Pizza and Canna-Coffee. The book also features recipes from RISE Dispensary team members across the country like Christopher R.'s Albondigas de Cordero and Angi G.’s Dump Cake.

“It’s amazing to be able to share my homemade cannabis recipes with our RISE patients and customers in preparation for 4/20,” said Angi G. from RISE Bloomfield in New Jersey. “The joy of cooking with cannabis has helped normalize the plant in my household and with my extended family and friends. Our recipes are a great way for readers to get inspired with festive cannabis-infused food and drink ideas for their guests during the 4/20 holiday season.”

According to a study conducted by New Frontier in 2021, 36% of cannabis consumers surveyed enjoyed cooking with cannabis in their homes. The most common ways to infuse cannabis with food were through use of cannabutter, cannabis oil and tinctures. Baked goods are the most popular type of dish to infuse with cannabis, but entrees and beverages are also fashionable choices. Pop culture has also seen a surge in the number of television and streaming shows where cooking with cannabis is the main focus. Cooked with Cannabis, a cooking competition show airing on Netflix, ranks in the 78th percentile in the Reality genre and scores 1.4 times the viewers of the average TV show in the United States. With data from Pew Research Center showing that 88% of Americans support some form of cannabis legalization, the popularity of cooking with cannabis is likely to continue rising.

Ryan Marek, SVP of Marketing at Green Thumb Industries added, “We’re extremely proud of ‘Smoke It. Eat. Drink It.’ and the book’s potential to continue normalizing the 4/20 holiday and cannabis culture as a whole.”

In the week leading up to 4/20, RISE will offer a variety of special limited time deals for customers, including storewide and select product discounts of up to 40% off. Deals vary by market and include award-winning brands like RYTHM, Dogwalkers, Good Green, incredibles, Beboe and more.

On 4/20, RISE Dispensaries will also celebrate with the local community through in-store activations, including doorbuster deals, free swag, DJs, food, exclusive product drops like Queen Cola by RYTHM in Illinois and more. Select RISE locations will feature the sale of 4/20 holiday greeting cards to support cannabis-loving friends and family members. Stop by RISE to pick up your 4/20 product selections and chat with a friendly budtender.

To find out more about the celebration, visit RISEcannabis.com.

About RISE Dispensaries
RISE Dispensaries, a fast-growing national cannabis retailer founded under Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries, promotes social conscience, community impact and well-being through the power of cannabis. With a national footprint of 77 retail locations across 14 U.S. markets, RISE employs approximately 2,000 residents and serves millions of patients and customers each year. Since opening their doors in 2015, RISE has been at the forefront of a movement to democratize cannabis. RISE believes that cannabis should be a right for all of us, not just some of us, and there are too many restrictions on when and where residents can enjoy products. RISE Dispensaries lead innovative access to cannabis by offering home delivery, virtual pharmacist consultations, mobile pre-ordering and the first consumption lounge east of the Mississippi at RISE Mundelein, Illinois (services vary by market). RISE locations offer a wide variety of products and award-winning brands including &Shine, Beboe, Dogwalkers, Doctor Solomon’s, Good Green, incredibles and RYTHM, produced by owner Green Thumb Industries. RISE Rewards members enjoy insider perks, points and first access to products and merchandise. More information is available at RISEcannabis.com.

For more information about Green Thumb Industries, visit www.GTIgrows.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains statements which may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” or similar expressions and include information regarding the filing of the Documents and the timing thereof. The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations of future events which management believes to be reasonable. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Green Thumb does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this news release is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied. When considering these forward-looking statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Green Thumb’s public filings with the applicable securities regulatory authorities, including with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on its website at www.sec.gov and with Canada’s System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com, as well as on Green Thumb’s website at https://investors.gtigrows.com, including in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Investor Contact:
Andy Grossman
EVP, Capital Markets & Investor Relations
InvestorRelations@gtigrows.com
310-622-8257

Media Contact:
MATTIO Communications
GTI@mattio.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/765c4518-bc39-4b65-9ac4-06a8c8676295