A Girl Scout troop in New Jersey has sparked controversy after setting up a cookie stand outside a cannabis dispensary, drawing in customers who had just bought weed and were looking for snacks.
The troop reportedly sold Girl Scout cookies outside Daylite Dispensary in Mount Laurel, a legal marijuana store, during cookie season and business was booming thanks to customers dealing with the classic “munchies.”
The idea came after the dispensary invited the troop to sell outside the store, seeing it as a community partnership that could help the girls raise money while offering customers an easy snack option as they left.
“You use cannabis, you get the munchies,” the shop’s owner, Steve Cassidy, said. “There’s a connection between snacks and cannabis, and the fact that we don’t have to pretend that doesn’t exist anymore is really awesome.”
Girl Scouts’ collab with weed store sparks backlash
According to reports, the cookie booth was a hit with visitors, with some customers even prioritizing buying cookies over cannabis during their stop at the shop.
However, the unusual location quickly caught the attention of Girl Scouts leadership, who were reportedly unhappy with the optics of scouts selling cookies outside a weed store.
The dispensary’s owner told reporters the idea was meant to support the troop and bring people together, saying the partnership was never intended to cause problems.
“It was about community,” he told The Independent. “If that means the local Girl Scout troop got in trouble, that is absolutely not what we wanted.”
Despite the initial success, a planned follow-up sale scheduled for March 6 was ultimately called off after the controversy gained media attention and Girl Scouts officials got involved.
The store issued a statement about the situation on Instagram, saying they care deeply about supporting the girls.
“We were happy to host a local troop outside Daylite recently. Supporting our community — especially young entrepreneurs — is something we care deeply about as a locally and family-owned business,” they said on March 6. “Thanks to everyone who stopped by to show their support.”
Girl Scout cookies are one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers, with millions of boxes sold each year to help support local troops and programs.
Recreational marijuana has been legal in New Jersey since 2022, and there are now more than 200 dispensaries operating across the state, making the pairing of weed and cookies an opportunity some people saw as clever marketing, even if Girl Scouts leadership didn’t agree.
For now, it’s unclear whether the troop will be allowed to return to the dispensary to continue selling cookies. But the viral story has already turned the unusual cookie stand into one of the most talked-about Girl Scout sales of the season.
Another Girl Scout story went viral last month after a 6-year-old from Pittsburgh shattered cookie sales records when she sold nearly 87,000 boxes in a single season.
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