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Logo of Burke Law Group, counsel for plaintiffs in the nationwide marijuana industry class action litigation.
Plaintiffs allege marijuana companies misled consumers about health risks while marketing products linked to serious mental and physical harm.
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., Burke Law Group, P.L.L.C., Franks Gerkin Ponitz & Greeley P.C., and Pawa Law Group P.C. today announced the filing of first-of-their-kind class action lawsuits against some of the largest U.S. cannabis companies over allegations that they knowingly marketed and sold products posing serious health risks to consumers.
The lawsuits, filed in both federal and state courts in Illinois (N.D. Ill., Case No. 26-cv-50184) and Connecticut (D. Conn., Case No. 3:26-cv-684), allege that four of the largest U.S. cannabis companies—Cresco, Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries, and Verano—systematically and falsely marketed recreational cannabis as medicinal to drive billions in revenues, while failing to warn consumers of its health risks and potentially catastrophic dangers.
A more than 300-page Illinois federal complaint, involving 30 class representatives seeking to represent consumers in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia, alleges violations of various state consumer protection statutes, common law fraud, RICO, and other claims. Two other complaints bring similar claims.
The lawsuits allege that cannabis sold for recreational use is not medicine and is not safe – information that, the suit further alleges, the marijuana industry has sought to suppress through promotion, public relations, and marketing of recreational cannabis products.
As alleged in the complaints, cannabis is a highly addictive and dangerous drug that causes serious mental health disorders, including schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, and depression, and other life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks. The lawsuits seek financial damages to consumers who did not know what the defendants knew when they made their purchases. It also seeks meaningful changes to defendants’ practices.
The lawsuits have drawn support from multiple leading public health-focused marijuana policy organizations that have raised concerns about the long-term health effects of these products.
About the Firms
Weitz & Luxenberg is a New York based plaintiff’s firm recognized for its leadership in asbestos litigation and in mass tort and personal injury cases.
Burke Law Group has extensive experience litigating complex class actions and multidistrict litigation in courts across the country, including in high-stake cases involving coordinated court proceedings, parallel litigation, and large numbers of related claims. Learn more here.
Pawa Law Group is a Massachusetts-based litigation and trial firm nationally recognized for its work in environmental cases and in complex matters involving severe personal injury, consumer fraud, and other high-stakes litigation.
Franks Gerkin Ponitz & Greeley is a Northern Illinois–based law firm known for their courtroom experience and commitment to client advocacy, with a strong record representing individuals and families in complex litigation matters.
Patrick Kenneally
Burke Law Group
+1 832-987-2214
Patrick.Kenneally@burkegroup.law
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