Marijuana Vending Machines May Make It a Snap to Get Mile High in Colorado

They'll dispense weed edibles, such as pot brownies, at the push of a button.

Apr 16, 2014· 1 MIN READ

Culture and education editor Liz Dwyer has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national publications. She was previously education editor at Good.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Colorado for more than a decade, so it’s a wonder this took so long: Savvy entrepreneurs have brought weed vending machines to the state.

Created by the company American Green, the ZaZZZ machine went on display at a restaurant in the tiny (population 6,447) town of Avon. The machine, which uses climate control technology to keep its products fresh, will sell marijuana edibles. That's right, folks, with the push of a button, pot brownies can be yours.

At least, they can if you have a medical marijuana card. Buyers will need a card as well as valid state-issued identification. To stop teenagers from jacking an older relative’s card and ID, the machine will use active biometrics.

The machine will be installed in Herbal Elements, a medical dispensary in nearby Eagle-Vail. “We’re looking forward to using the ZaZZZ machine to easily track all this inventory. We’re gonna eliminate the middleman. It’ll go straight from the bud tender right into our machine. There’s no room for theft by patients, employees. There’s no way to lose track of the inventory,” Greg Honan, owner of Herbal Elements, told Denver FOX affiliate KDVR.

American Green founder Stephen Shearin told The Cannabist he imagines the machine will be “great for shy folks” who don’t want to have to interact with a salesperson. Shearin believes this is just the beginning of weed vending. “I don’t think we’ve dreamed what it can do yet, and that’s the whole point. You start with this, and you start making your way into the future. I think this is a great starting point, and we’re excited about it,” Shearin says.

Shearin's excitement is also probably due to the lucrative nature of the business. Sales of marijuana and weed-related products in Colorado are expected to top $1 billion this year. The ZaZZZ follows Medbox, a medicine vending machine company that sells ganja to qualified customers.

Sorry, eager buyers—Herbal Elements says the machine isn’t up and running yet. “There has not been any marijuana in the #zazzz machine & will not be any marijuana in the machine until all authorities ok its proposed use,” the company tweeted.