Ohio has filed an antitrust lawsuit against nine multistate cannabis operators, accusing the companies of conspiring to keep prices high and limit consumer choice.
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The lawsuit alleges the operators used “shelf-space allotments” to prioritize each other’s products while intentionally excluding smaller, Ohio-based businesses.
The legal action stems from an investigation triggered by an October 2024 tip from an Ohio cannabis industry employee.
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The lawsuit names nine major cannabis operators as defendants: Ascend Wellness, Ayr Wellness, The Cannabist Company, and Cresco Labs.
Other companies listed in the legal filing include Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries, Jushi, Trulieve, and Verano.
According to the complaint, senior representatives from these major multistate operators met in late 2022 to coordinate their purchasing strategies.
The tip alleged that these companies established explicit internal quotas to reserve dispensary shelf space for products sourced through reciprocal agreements with other multistate operators.
This arrangement was reportedly intended to preserve the group’s market share during a period of increased supply and declining prices.
The legal filing alleges these actions violated Ohio’s Valentine Act by allowing companies to share competitively sensitive information and engage in discriminatory distribution practices.
These practices disadvantaged independent Ohio cannabis operators while reducing product quality and innovation for local consumers, Attorney General Dave Yost said.
Yost is seeking injunctive relief to halt the alleged unlawful conduct.
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