Residents of Seattle will now be able to purchase their pot from vending machines.
The machines are not dispersed throughout the city, as traditional vending machines selling soda or candy are. They are located inside the Seattle Caregivers medical marijuana dispensary and “can only be used by people who are at least 21, with valid ID and medical authorization.”
Information on the back of buyer’s driver’s licenses are used to verify age. (Attention marijuana vending machine users: the government now has a record of your marijuana purchases and they are tied to your driver’s license. Something to think about.)
Once you put in your ID, you can choose from any number of products on the touch screen display, from cold pot-infused drinks to edibles and vacuum-sealed containers of marijuana.
“You’re swiping your ID, we’ve got a variety of different ways we can check that ID against who’s standing in front of the machine. And as we like to say, if there’s any doubt, no cannabis comes out,” said Stephen Shearin with American Green.
Additionally, there are cameras that will scan your face to make sure it matches with your identification and a “weight sensing mat” to make sure the the buyer is the same person on the driver’s license.
As of now, only a few machines are in Seattle but manufacturers are optimistic there will soon be “hundreds.”
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