Vermont Cannabis Control Board Seeks Info On Alleged Ties Between Abramovich, Curaleaf

MONTPELIER — Days after Vice published a story about Putin ally Roman Abramovich bankrolling the US cannabis industry, Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board contacted authorities in Massachusetts and Connecticut to get more information about an apparent connection between a Russian oligarch and Curaleaf, VTDigger reported on Friday. Curaleaf operates two cannabis dispensaries in Vermont.

According to multiple news reports, the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich — a subject of international sanctions — invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S. cannabis industry, chiefly in Curaleaf, the Mass-based company that owns Phytocare Vermont in Bennington, and Vermont Patients Alliance in Montpelier.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board is contacting Massachusetts and Connecticut to determine what they have learned, if anything, about alleged connections between Abramovich and Curaleaf.

Applicants for Vermont licenses must disclose owners and principals, including those with an ownership interest of 10% or greater. Abramovich, however, never appeared in any of Curaleaf’s filings.

Read more via VTDigger.