Ascend Dispensary - Laurel

Ascend is the retail name of Ascend Wellness Holdings, a vertically integrated cannabis company founded in 2018 and based in New Jersey that grows, manufactures and sells its own products. The directory lists its stores in eight states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio. The company says its footprint centers on limited-license markets in the Northeast and Midwest, and some locations are run by partners rather than by Ascend itself.

Stores carry a mix of outside brands and Ascend's house lines, which include Ozone, Simply Herb, High Wired, Honor Roll, Royale and Effin', produced in the company's mostly indoor cultivation facilities. The Ascenders Club loyalty program uses one points structure across all Ascend locations. The company's site includes explainers on cannabis basics, purchase limits and whether out-of-state visitors can buy. Ascend also describes a social equity effort that supports expungement and decriminalization for people affected by past cannabis enforcement.