A marijuana vending machine is a vending machine for selling or dispensing marijuana. They are currently in use in the United States, and will become available in Canada. In the United States, they are normally located in secure rooms in medical marijuana dispensaries. They are operated by employees after a fingerprint scan is obtained from the patient. In Canada, marijuana vending machines will be used in centres that cultivate the drug. There, the employee will scan their own fingerprint and then enter patient prescription information and personal identification into the machine.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Development of machines
At least three companies are developing the vending machines.[8]
Endexx Corp. recently purchased two smaller companies to merge their respective technologies into a marijuana vending machine. One company produces a card-reading device used by employees at marijuana clubs to produce specific portions. The other company has developed a type of soft drink machine that has been modified to dispense marijuana in plastic cans.[8]
Medbox Inc. is the industry leader in medical marijuana dispensing machines. They sell two machines for $50,000, one for edible marijuana products like brownies, and the other for portions of marijuana itself.[8] As of October 2013, Medbox has sold approximately 160 marijuana vending machines to US medical marijuana dispensaries.[3]
Tranzbyte Corp. plans to commence distribution of vending machines that use radio-frequency identification tags.[8]
References
- ^ Laskow, Sarah (2013-06-10). "Marijuana vending machines are the future of recreational drug use". Grist. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ "Marijuana vending machines". News.msn.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ a b "The pot vending machine's first foreign market? Canada, of course, 'a seed for the rest of the world' | National Post". News.nationalpost.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ "Marijuana Vending Machines Popping Up At California Pot Clubs « CBS San Francisco". Sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ Vrankulj, Adam (2012-11-13). "Medbox partners with Canadian medical marijuana R&D lab". BiometricUpdate.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ "Marijuana vending machines coming to a store near you? | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ Epstein, Mike (2012-11-16). "Marijuana Vending Machine Maker's Stock Skyrockets and Everybody Freaks Out". Geekosystem. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ a b c d e "Marijuana Vending Machines, Stoner Fantasy, May Become Industry Norm". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ "Marijuana vending machines: helfpul or just hype? | Marijuana and Cannabis News". Toke of the Town. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
- ^ "Marijuana Vending Machine Investing". Wealthdaily.com. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-10-19.