Girl Scout Cookies Can Now Be Sold Outside Of Pot Dispensaries, Colorado Council Says
Girl Scout Cookies can now be sold outside of marijuana dispensaries in Colorado, according to a directive from The Centennial State’s statewide council, the Cannabist is reporting.
For the past few years, ever since states started legalizing medical and/or recreational marijuana, stories have been popping up around this time every year of enterprising Girl Scouts putting up stands outside pot shops and making a fortune. The image of an enterprising young lass who understands market research enough to know that pot users famously enjoy a good snack makes for a quick bit of visual humor. Or, conversely, the image of an impressionable young lass making a profit (however indirectly) from the sale of the devil’s lettuce makes for a quick visual metaphor for the unintended consequences of pot legalization. It all depends on your point of view.
It’s that second interpretation that has bothered the Girl Scouts of Colorado. Officially, Girl Scouts who sold cookies outside of pot dispensaries were violating the rules (at least, in Colorado; each state’s council is free to make its own rules). Specifically, the rules forbade Girl Scouts from selling cookies outside of “adult-oriented businesses” — bars, tattoo shops, strip clubs, and yes, marijuana dispensaries.
Enterprising girl scouts sell cookies outside of Lakewood pot shop https://t.co/8CiSRZ7LJx pic.twitter.com/Z6bcA5zUyK
— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) February 17, 2018
Now, however, the Girl Scouts of Colorado have updated their policies to treat “adult-oriented businesses” — including pot shops — the same as any other business, says council spokeswoman AnneMarie Harper. That means that, provided a seller meets all of the other rules, which include having the permission of the business owner and property owner, she can sell wherever she pleases.
However, that’s not to say that it’s a free-for-all. Girl Scouts will still need the permission of their troop and from the Girl Scouts of Colorado before selling outside of any business. But moving forward, says Harper, the council will not consider the nature of the business in approving or denying a young lady the right to sell outside of the business.
And of course, safety is still the girls’ top priority.
“[Potential cookie sales] sites are now all treated the same, and approval of those sites is contingent on whether they meet our guidelines and safety requirements. Safety is the biggest concern.”
Those safety regulations consider such things as the distance sellers would be from the street, or the neighborhood in which the girl wants to sell cookies.
In case you were wondering, the loosening-up of the rules has indeed led to enterprising Girl Scouts branching out into previously off-limits businesses. As of last Friday, the Girl Scout Cookie Locator app listed Colorado locations outside of bars, tattoo parlors, and yes, marijuana dispensaries.
At this point it bears noting that this directive applies only to Colorado. Girl Scout councils in other states may still take a dim view of girls selling outside of pot dispensaries, so be sure to get your council’s permission before setting up shop outside of a pot shop.
