Gone are the good old days of Girl Scout cookie selling for some troop members out on the West Coast.
Instead of going door-to-door, sending their parents to work with order forms, or setting up shop outside the local grocery store in an attempt to sell cookies, one Girl Scout decided to sell outside a local medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco earlier this month.
Within two hours, she had successfully sold 117 boxes and fed nearly every customer who exited the dispensary. In California, marijuana is not legalized for recreational use, rather it is decriminalized (depending on amount) and allowed to be utilized for medical purposes. This story struck a chord with people nationwide, and quickly connected itself back into the on-going discussion of the legalization of marijuana nationwide.
Since the beginning of 2014, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in both Colorado and Washington State. A number of controversies have arisen as a result, including traveling to these states with marijuana, athletes using it leally while there, etc. Now that a Girl Scout has gotten involved, the conversation has turned its focus to how these laws impact children.
One Girl Scout troop leader spoke out against the young girls sales, stating, “I don’t think I’d want my daughter to set up a booth in front of a dispensary.” In addition, The Girl Scouts of Colorado released a statement that said, “We recognize these are legitimate businesses, but we don’t feel they are an appropriate place for girls to be selling cookies in Colorado.”
Despite the strong stance from the Girl Scouts of Colorado, many people do not see the harm in selling cookies at these locations. In fact, many people are standing being the Girl Scout from San Francisco, praising her for her business sense and ability to market to the right crowd.
So what kind of message does this story send to the public? On one hand, people are encouraging sales in these locations, while others a mortified by the thought of it. While the controversy is sure to play out over time, it just goes to show that despite the law taking steps to legalize marijuana, the mindset of the general public is still very much so torn in regards to how to handle these new laws. Even though marijuana use is legal and/or decriminalized in many areas throughout the country, it is still the stigma of the use of the drug itself that is fueling continuous debate regarding how legislation that supports marijuana will impact people of all ages – including Girl Scouts.
