CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Thumb Industries Inc. (“Green Thumb” or the “Company”) (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), a leading national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and owner of RISE Dispensaries, today announced the release of its 2023 Social Impact Report. Green Thumb’s second annual Social Impact Report documents and highlights the meaningful progress of its “Growing for Good” program across four key pillars: Community Engagement, Inclusion & Belonging, Restorative Justice and Environmental Stewardship. The full report can be viewed at www.gtigrows.com/social-impact-report.

“Our Growing for Good social impact program is deeply embedded in Green Thumb’s DNA and brought to life by our team members every day,” said Green Thumb Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ben Kovler. “Our company was built on promoting well-being through cannabis while giving back to the communities we serve, and I am proud of our team’s commitment to strengthening our collective impact each year.”

In 2023, Green Thumb’s team of approximately 4,600 passionate individuals supported their communities by promoting a more inclusive and equitable industry, advocating for social justice and delivering positive change toward local and national initiatives. Highlights from Green Thumb’s latest Social Impact Report include:

• Community Engagement: Through its Round Up campaign and First Day Profits program, Green Thumb and its customers supported local nonprofit partners across the country, contributing over $800,000 to causes including housing support, cannabis reform advocacy and restorative justice.
• Inclusion & Belonging: The Company fostered a more inclusive cannabis culture by hosting unconscious bias training sessions for leaders and elevating platforms of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), reaching a digital audience of more than 300,000.
• Restorative Justice: Green Thumb continued to advocate for cannabis policy reform, with an emphasis on expungement and employment efforts. In addition, the Company provided direct support to entrepreneurs impacted by the War on Drugs through equity joint venture partnerships.
• Environmental Stewardship: Construction completed on four new production facilities focused on maximizing energy efficiency, which resulted in 17.9 kWh of energy saved and 12,500 tons of CO₂ reduced.

To continue the momentum of the Company’s social impact initiatives, Green Thumb is introducing a matching component to its Round Up program in 2024. Round Up presents patients and customers at RISE Dispensaries with the opportunity to round their purchases up to the nearest dollar in support of a partner nonprofit organization. To expand the generous contributions of its customers, Good Green, the Company’s cannabis brand that aims to reverse the harms caused by the War on Drugs, will match 2024 donations up to $500,000. Green Thumb will donate the proceeds from Round Up to three organizations throughout the year, beginning with Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) in the first trimester.

SSDP is a grassroots network of students and young people advocating for sensible drug policies in their communities, on their campuses, and at the state and national levels. With nearly 100 chapters across the United States, SSDP is the largest national youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. Through the contributions from Green Thumb’s Round Up program, SSDP will further advance its cannabis clemency and expungement efforts with a focus on policy change at the federal level.

About Green Thumb Industries
Green Thumb Industries Inc. (“Green Thumb”), a national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and retailer, promotes well-being through the power of cannabis while giving back to the communities in which it serves. Green Thumb manufactures and distributes a portfolio of branded cannabis products including &Shine, Beboe, Dogwalkers, Doctor Solomon’s, Good Green, incredibles and RYTHM. The company also owns and operates rapidly growing national retail cannabis stores called RISE. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Green Thumb has 20 manufacturing facilities, 91 open retail locations and operations across 15 U.S. markets. Established in 2014, Green Thumb employs approximately 4,600 people and serves millions of patients and customers each year. More information is available at 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 expected growth of the Company. 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 SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, 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