Girl Guides are using cannabis dispensaries to make sales
With the introduction of marijuana legalization in Canada came an interesting shift in society's perspective, especially after several months of running without incident. All of those things that had the public concerned at the beginning, like adolescent consumption, overdose potential, and impaired driving rates, have now been proven false, or at least not anywhere near as bad as we had initially thought.
Communities are slowly warming up to the idea of dispensaries, including those that had banned them entirely at first, and the general belief is that the Canadian cannabis industry is thriving as a result, but it’s rare that the presence of these kinds of facilities gets the opportunity to be highlighted in a positive manner.
Most consumers have no idea how much of an impact one dispensary can have on both the people and the businesses that surround it. One example of this would be through CBD products, and how they are now carried by almost every health food store in the country, adding an enticing new product, sales, and ultimately, more revenue for those who choose to get involved.
Another would be the evolving cannabis events that are now popping up in areas that could really use the business, and then there are the companies who are changing their model to accommodate the cannabis sector, like security firms, banks, and web design companies, who are all financially benefiting from this exciting and new arrangement.
However, the trickle-down effect is something that few are talking about, as it’s nearly impossible to track when each entrepreneur puts their own twist on a brand-new cannabis business idea, and few who have success can afford expensive media coverage to let the public know what they are doing, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting incredibly creative to benefit from the presence of marijuana dispensaries.
What’s trending
The latest incident garnered a headline from Global News, who reported on a group of Girl Scouts who sat outside of Dispensary 33, a popular new location in Chicago, and sold an astounding number of cookies to patrons who were exiting the establishment. The girls, who were supervised by several parents, sold a total of 230 boxes of cookies, and they aren’t the only ones who earned themselves the spotlight with such a bold move.
In 2018, another Girl Guide group from California camped outside of a local dispensary to sell some cookies. The arrangement was planned well in advance and was coordinated with both the dispensary called Urban Leaf and several Girl Scout leaders. That day, the group of girls managed to sell a record number of cookies, with just over 300 in total sold in only one day.
The public’s reaction
The general vibe from those who weighed in on the situation was overall positive, with happy patrons reporting buying multiple boxes on their way out the door, and happy groups of kids who managed to sell a number of boxes that surpassed any other methods that they had tried before. Even the dispensaries praised the young entrepreneurs for making smart business decisions at such young ages, but unfortunately, not everyone was happy with the situation.
Once these stories went viral, it really didn’t take long for the public to start weighing in, and while the majority of those who did had nothing but good things to say about the appearance, some seemed to be concerned for the safety of the children involved, stating that children should not be encouraged to gain such a comfortability around a substance of any kind.
Is it safe for underage persons to be selling goods outside of a dispensary?
The biggest problem seems to be that some people still view dispensaries in the same light as a black-market dealer, picturing a shady place of business that conducts illicit activities to serve consumers who act out after partaking in their substance of choice. In the case of alcohol, especially when you consider the rates of violence that are associated with it, it might make some sense to worry, yet if these groups sat outside of their local beer store to sell cookies, as you can imagine, very few would hear about it unless they were present.
Headlines are saved for the rare, juicy situations that everyone wants to hear about, including scandals, danger, and taboo topics, but is a marijuana dispensary truly the sort of establishment that deserves this kind of reaction when children are nearby? If you were to ask any cannabis enthusiast how many times they had witnessed a couple of friends who were high throw down, chances are they couldn’t recollect a single story to tell, and that’s not because they’re probably high.
It's a fact that cannabis consumption seems to calm those who chose to partake, so much that it even reveals the difference when you take a moment to look at domestic violence incidents and rates. One survey even found that couples who both smoked pot were much less likely to argue and even less likely to experience physical violence in their relationship, which speaks volumes as to the different mindset that comes with each substance.
So while we would certainly hope that children hanging around any adult focus venue would be supervised, we can’t find a single reason to believe that they shouldn’t be there, and when it’s all for a good cause with no adverse incidents, how can you argue with the results? A cannabis dispensary is a clean, safe, sterile environment, with patrons who are the same individuals that you’d run into while standing outside of a Walmart or Canadian Tire.
The only difference is that these particular adults are looking for weed, and that doesn’t make them too dangerous or unpredictable to be around children. In fact, the majority of dispensary visitors likely have children of their own waiting for them at home, and for anyone to believe otherwise shows a serious bias against science, fact, and cannabis consumers. This is the result of widely believed stereotypes, but we think that these incredibly smart girls took advantage of the ideal situation and that they’ve earned the payoff that came from the experience.
