Sometimes you just want to pick up your pot without talking to a human. Well here’s some good news for people in Seattle, Wash.: You can now grab your medical marijuana from a vending machine.
American Green launched its first Seattle-based ZaZZZ Marijuana Vending Machine. It allows patrons to purchase marijuana, edibles, vape cartridges, and other accessories simply by swiping their driver’s license and medical marijuana identification card.
The company’s proprietary technology combines information gleaned from your driver’s license and compares it to biometric data from the camera mounted on the machine. It then associates that information to the medical ID card and creates an account. Any further purchases made at the ZaZZZ machine only require your driver’s license for identification purposes.
American Green
According to Stephen Shearin, president and chief operating officer of American Green, people can’t use a friend’s identification to pick up their product, thanks to the machine’s security camera. And the company is looking into adding additional biometric security, like fingerprints or retinal scans, to confirm the buyer’s identity.
While these features are forthcoming, for now the ZaZZZ has plenty of variety. “This machine’s got Blue Dream, Girl Scout Cookies, God’s Gift, it’s got some vape cartridges, edibles,” Shearin said.
It’s Seattle’s first pot vending machine. Show your I.D., slide in your money, push button & out pops pot. #ZaZZZ pic.twitter.com/l7T0OkWao1
— diane lewis (@dianelewis48) February 3, 2015
The vending machine in Seattle is located inside Seattle Caregivers, a medical marijuana dispensary, like the other 18 machines across the U.S., including Arizona, California, Colorado, and now Washington. Shearin said he’s also getting interest from businesses in Canada. American Green tested two vending machines in Colorado, and are now rolling out the second generation.
Buyers can pay with cash or Bitcoin (credit cards aren’t accepted due to federal regulations).
American Green charges a software licensing fee to the dispensaries that implement the vending machine, and the businesses could get a bit of a boost from the products provided in ZaZZZ. While most of the dispensaries the machines are in carry the same inventory, ZaZZZ also includes items that aren’t available everywhere else.
“We try to bring products in that don’t exist in dispensaries already, so it’s a new revenue stream,” Shearin said. “But dispensaries sometimes have products that move faster than others, and who wants to get stuck behind someone that’s asking a lot of questions?”
As more states begin to regulate medical marijuana, it’s likely you’ll see more vending machines popping up across the U.S. Rhode Island could be next; Shearin is pushing for it right now.
For now, the 18 locations are serving customers by eliminating the need to talk to an actual person. Simply walk in and let the machine save your personal data for next time.
Photo via Dank Depot/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
