ID-check vending machines aim for convenient cannabis

In an age when vending machines can dispense everything from lipstick to headphones, perhaps it was only a matter of time before a business dreamed up a way to help people stock up on marijuana.

American Green, a Phoe- nix-based medical-cannabis technology company, unveiled a prototype for a vending machine that uses biometric verification technology to sell controlled and age-restricted items.

Besides dope, it can dispense other items that require positive identification for purchase: pharmaceuticals, casino chips, alcoholic beverages or even guns.

The device would be ideal for casinos that want to go cashless; drugstores looking to sell controlled items, such as Claritin D, off-site; pot dispensaries; and ballparks, according to COO Stephen Shearin. The machine is outfitted with a camera.

A user would set up an account with a government-issued ID and, when needed, a medical prescription.

A scan of the account holder’s finger would verify the person’s identity.

Erik Altieri, executive director of the marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML, sees this as a good option for those who don’t want to go to a dispensary. “Certainly, there’s still a stigma in more conservative (places) for using marijuana, for medical or recreational,” he said. “This could make individuals who need it more comfortable. They won’t run into their pastor or kindergarten teacher outside a dispensary.”