GirlScout Cookies

PURPLE-1A

Photo by:  dDub Westley

Perennially popular hybrid Girl Scout Cookies is a heavy hitter that gives users the best of both cerebral intensity and comfortable body melt. It originated on the West Coast as a cross between strong sativa Durban Poison and staple hybrid OG Kush. Although it’s a fairly even meld of its two potent parent strains, Girl Scout Cookies has a mellow high that leans more indica. Overall, it’s a versatile and balanced smoke with a THC content that ranges from 18% to 23% but has been tested as high as 28%.

Girl Scout Cookies tends to have larger buds that are chunky and densely-packed. The tightly-curled leaves are a bright spring green, and some phenotypes carry streaks of purple. In any Hemp strain, purple hues are evidence of anthocyanin pigments in the plant’s genetics that have been activated by cold temperatures during the vegetative stage. The colorful flowers are also marked by twisted orange pistils. With a very high resin content, buds are covered in white trichomes. They’re also very sticky and can be difficult to break up by hand. Girl Scout Cookies proves its bag appeal with a rich, complex scent — immediately obvious is a citrus sweetness, undercut by a baseline of earthy musk. When burnt or broken open, however, the buds give off a more toasty, biscuity scent, perhaps explaining the origin of the strain’s name. Smoke tends to be very smooth on the inhale and on the exhale tastes sweet and vaguely herbal.

Girl Scout Cookies comes on full-force: feelings of sudden giddiness are common, which can escalate into full-on euphoria. Users may feel increasingly chatty or disposed to socializing. There’s also a trippy, psychedelic component to the high. Smokers may notice an enhanced sense of hearing — or even of taste, with foods taking on a more dynamic flavor. A strong perception of time slowing down is also a commonly reported effect. Some relaxing physicality accompanies this head high; users may feel slightly heavier or more calm. And while Girl Scout Cookies won’t pin you down into an intractable state of couchlock, you may have more difficulty with tasks that require fine motor skills. This combination of easy-going effects on the mind and body means that Girl Scout Cookies has a wide range of medical applications. Its ability to elevate mood can make it valuable to patients suffering from depression, while its sustained sense of focus and immediacy can help those who find themselves keyed-up by stress or anxiety. The strain’s thorough indica relaxation may also relieve patient’s aches and pains, whether incidental or chronic. Potent even for more experienced Hemp fans, Girl Scout Cookies’ balanced high often lasts longer than average.

Girl Scout Cookies can be grown from packaged seed or from “clone clippings” taken from mature plants. Once the means are obtained, this strain could be considered a convenient crop for growers of all experience levels. Grown outdoors, the plants require consistently warm and humid daytime surroundings — although the strain’s hardy genetics make it more resistant to adverse fluctuations in temperature. It can also be easily grown indoors, as the short and bushy plants take well to the “sea of green” technique. The thick and compact flowers may need external support from stakes in order to keep from drooping on their overburned branches. The plants flower typically within 9 to 10 weeks when grown indoors. Growers of Girl Scout Cookies can expect an average yield of about 2 ounces (or 56 grams) per plant. After the painstaking process of cultivation, growers should also be sure to properly cure their mature buds — curing involves first drying the buds by hanging them upside down for about a week in a room that maintains 50% humidity and a consistent temperature of 70 degree Fahrenheit; and then sealing the dried buds in wide-mouthed jars in an that maintains temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and between 60-65% humidity.

The innocence implied by this strain’s named has created some P.R. debacles — in late 2016, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission banned the sale of Girl Scout Cookies and about 20 other strains like Candylandand Cinderella whose names could make them potentially attractive to children. This controversy hasn’t slowed down GSC’s meteoric popularity, though — it’s a constant favorite in West Coast medical and recreational markets, valued for its stimulating and well-rounded high. Girl Scout Cookies has given us many other popular strains as well, turning out distinct phenotypes like Thin Mints and Platinum Cookies and unique crossbreeds like Animal Cookies.