2 medical cannabis companies serving Virginia to merge

By The Associated Press
December 23, 2020 | 11:38 AM

RICHMOND, Va. — Two medical cannabis companies serving Virginia have agreed to merge.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that New York-based Columbia Care Inc. plans to acquire Maryland-based Green Leaf Medical LLC for $240 million.

Green Leaf secured approval in 2018 from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy to be the lone medical cannabis licensee for an area that includes Richmond and parts of Southside Virginia.

Columbia Care holds the license for the Hampton Roads region.

The deal is expected to close in the summer.

Opening arguments set to begin in Meta’s federal trial over child harms

By The Associated Press
August 18, 2026 | 12:05 AM

Oakland, Calif. (AP) — Opening arguments are set to kick off Tuesday in a pivotal trial for Meta Platforms in a California federal court. Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking extensive financial damages plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states sued the tech giant in 2023 over child safety and privacy — the other 25 will go to trial later. The company also faces lawsuits in state courts. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also argues that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law. “This week, we’re in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” said Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman in a statement.

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