Marijuana Vending Machines May Be Coming Soon

According to a recent news article from Time, a marijuana vending machine may be hitting the market soon.  This device uses a fingerprint scanner to verify the identity of the purchaser before it will dispense any marijuana.  This can be used to verify the age of the buyer as well as whether the buyer is one of the registered medical marijuana patients in areas where recreational use marijuana is not legal.

While it may seem strange to have a marijuana vending machine, there are various reasons why this may be helpful to many consumers.  The first, as discussed by the company spokesperson, is that it will allow a person to get medical marijuana without having to run into someone from school, work, or church, for example.There is no question that more and more people are in support of legalization for medical marijuana, and many are for legalization of marijuana for recreational use. However, this does not mean that some of those who would vote to legalize marijuana would talk about their own marijuana use publicly and certainly would not want people to see them while they are purchasing marijuana.  This is not everyone, as there are many people, especially younger people, who have no problem with people knowing they use marijuana.  That being said, there are many people in conservative communities, who are older, that certainly see a stigma associated with the use of marijuana for any purpose, medical or not.

While there is certainly going to be interest in a marijuana vending machine, there is also going to be a good deal of opposition.  When something is so different than what is currently on the market, there will be people who argue this is not safe, or not a good idea in general, and they will oppose it for any number of other reasons.  If you are in the medical cannabis business and are thinking about purchasing this or something like it, you should seek a consultation from an experienced Orange County medical marijuana business attorney before spending any significant amount of money.

As if the concept of a marijuana vending machine is not novel enough, the company has also suggested other uses for the vending machine.  Since the machine will be able to use a biometric scanner to make a positive identification of the purchases, the company says it can be used to dispense alcohol, pharmaceuticals, casino chips, and even firearms.  While this may seem crazy, there are many who want no restrictions of firearms purchases, even if they may oppose the legalization of medical marijuana, so there is no telling what might happen with this idea.

There are actually vending machines that sell marijuana already in limited use.  Some are made by the same company.  The difference is that these are not autonomous vending machines. There is an employee of the dispensary standing by the machine that must verify the age and information provided by the purchaser and then enter a code so the machine will dispense marijuana.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Coming Soon: Vending Machines That Scan Your Fingerprints and Sell You Pot, May 12, 2017, By Brad Tuttle, Time

More Blog Entries:
Report: Most Banks Still Reticent About Reefer, Feb. 26, 2017, Marijuana Lawyer Blog