Marijuana vending machines introduced in US
Los Angeles, the city that popularised the fast food drive-through, has a new innovation - 24-hour medical marijuana vending machines.
Patients suffering from chronic pain, loss of appetite and other ailments that marijuana is said to alleviate can get it with a dose of convenience at the Herbal Nutrition Centre, where a large machine will dole out the drug around the clock.
"Convenient access, lower prices, safety, anonymity," inventor and owner Vincent Mehdizadeh said, extolling the benefits of the machine.
Federal drug agents said the invention may not be around for long, however. Marijuana use is illegal under federal law, which does not recognise the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states.
"Somebody owns (it), it's on a property and somebody fills it," said the Drug Enforcement Agency's Jose Martinez. "Once we find out where it's at, we'll look into it and see if they're violating laws."
At least three dispensaries in the city, including two belonging to Mr Mehdizadeh, have installed vending machines to distribute the drug to people who carry cards authorising marijuana use.
Mr Mehdizadeh said it took seven months to develop and patent the black, armoured box, which he calls the "PVM," or prescription vending machine.
The computerised machine requires fingerprint identification and a prepaid card with a magnetic stripe. Once the card and fingerprint are verified, a bright green envelope with the drug drops down a slot.
Mr Mehdizadeh says any user approved for medical marijuana and registered in a computer database at his dispensaries can pre-purchase the drug and then use the machine to pick up.
The process provides convenience and privacy for users who may otherwise feel uncomfortable about buying marijuana, Mehdizadeh said.
At the Timothy Leary Medical Dispensary in the San Fernando Valley, the vending machine is accessible only during business hours. An employee there said the machine was introduced about five months ago, and provides speedy service.
"It helps a lot of patients who are in a lot of pain and don't want to wait around to get help," Robert Schwartz said. "It's been working out great."
Mr Mehdizadeh said he sought the advice of doctors, and decided to limit the amount of marijuana per user to an ounce per week.
Each purchase from the machine yields one or two eighths of an ounce. By eliminating a vendor behind the counter, he said, the machine offers users lower drug prices. The smallest packet costs about $40 (€27).
