Pot Vending Machines

Good news for L.A.'s medical marijuana users. You can get your favorite weed from a vending machine.

The specialized machine installed Monday at Herbal Nutrition Center - a medical-marijuana dispensary on La Cienega Boulevard - requires fingerprint identification as well as a special prepaid card.

"I wanted to take steps to benefit the industry," said Mehdizadeh, who owns two dispensaries. "We have legitimate patients that need us."

Mehdizadeh's machine is far from the standard potato-chip model. The black, armored box is bolted to the floor at the entrance to the dispensary.

It has a card swiper, a video camera that also takes a snapshot of any user and adds it to a database, and is protected by armed security guards.

Beginning today, Mehdizadeh said, he will start fingerprinting patients who want to use the machine, which will dispense five types of marijuana: Platinum Kush, Fire O.G., Bubba Kush, Purple Kush and Wild Cherry.

Keep in mind that medical marijuana is legal under state law, even as it remains a controlled substance banned by federal law. I'm a bit of a square, so maybe someone can explain to me the differences between the types. I didn't even know it came in different types. Flavors?

[Ribs aching; can't sleep. Thanks for the emails and comments. I tried to send an email back to everyone who emailed me. If I missed you, it's because I secretly hate your guts, want to tear out your heart, drink the blood out of the still-beating organ, and mail it to your parents...or I just missed you; you decide.]

posted by Gabriel Malor at 05:25 AM

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