Marijuana vending machines open in California
Pastor Dale Morgan
Marijuana vending machines open in California*
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles
Last Updated: 2:28am GMT 28/01/2008
California's first marijuana vending machines open today. The machines
can be used by patients who are prescribed marijuana for health reasons.
Patients have to present a prescription and be fingerprinted before they
are issued with a pre-paid credit card that stores the dosage and type
of drug prescribed.
They can then use the card to access the Anytime Vending Machines
whenever they need extra supplies.
Vince Mehdizadeh, owner of the Herbal Nutrition Centre in Los Angeles,
where one of the first machines is based, said patients could get access
to prescribed drugs after hours.
"They'll be greeted by a security guard right there. They'll slide the
card in and they'll fingerprint in to verify that it's them," he said.
"A camera takes a picture of them, verifying that they're actually at
the machine. And they get the medicine and they move on."
Owners believe that the AVMs could eventually become as common as
vending machines for soft drinks or confectionery and that they could
also be used to dispense other prescription drugs such as
antidepressants or Viagra.