More than two dozen artisan cookie shops pop up across NYC since pot was legalized in 2021

It’s never been easier to satisfy a case of the munchies. Artisan cookie shops have been popping up across New York City, with more than a couple dozen opening since the state gave a green light to legal grass in 2021 — and more are on the way. Manhattan baker Oriana Molina Garcia of Oriana’s Cookies said she has had stoned customers at farmers’ markets that “would be like, ‘Oh, my God, I have the munchies right now. This is a perfect way to end it.’” “I’m about to go to smoke, and this is going to be perfect for my munchies afterward,” she recalled one customer confessing. Residents of states where cannabis has been legalized use marijuana 24% more frequently than those living in states where it remains illegal, according to August 2022 data in Addiction, which publishes peer-reviewed research reports on pharmacological and behavioral addiction. Naturally, there are more cases of snack cravings. Cookies are great because bakers “can literally create any flavor you want,” said Garcia, who has made cookies with hot Cheetos. “I’m inspired by cupcake and cake flavors and ice cream flavors and chip flavors.” Cookies and cannabis have always complemented each other. That is something Insomnia Cookies has known for decades: Most of the chain’s locations are open until 2:45 a.m. Even employees of legal weed shops are mainlining the confections, including the staff at Chelsea’s Verdi Cannabis, a legal weed shop near a Crumbl Cookies. “We are eating their cookies all the time,” said the cannabis store’s owner, Ellis Soodak. Regina Smith, co-owner of Yonkers dispensary The Plant and Scarsdale-based cupcake and cookie shop Small Cakes NY, loves cookies on a normal day, and really loves them when she’s high. “I’m a sweets lover,” Smith said, who has an affinity for Small Cakes NY’s chocolate chip cookie. There is only minimal crossover between Smith’s two businesses as she and her husband try to keep them separate. Still, roughly 15 bakery customers know she owns the cannabis store and shop there. It’s an ideal, “easy dessert,” said Sofia Demetriou, president of Long Island-based Duchess Cookies, who is looking to open a store again in New York City. Especially for stoners on the go. “There’s no mess,” Demetriou said. “There’s really no packaging. There’s no spoon.” So far this year, four cookie stores opened including Levain Bakery in Flatiron District and a pair of Insomnia Cookies joints, in Penn Station and the Bronx. Crumbl Cookies opened in West Brighton, Staten Island, in June. Additional reporting by Claire Samstag.