Seven states and the District of Columbia have adopted the most expansive laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Most recently, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada all passed measures in November legalizing recreational marijuana.
It also would be Kroger's biggest takeover since 1998, when it bought the Fred Meyer food and merchandise store chain in the Northwest for more than $12 billion, according to financial data service Bloomberg.
The Kroger Co. couldn't tell hundreds of shareholders Thursday when it will complete its merger with Fred Meyer Inc., but the nation's largest grocery chain did give them a reason to look forward to it: a stock split.