Detailed by Time earlier today, Colorado’s first marijuana snack dispensing vending machine was on display this weekend at a restaurant called Montana Smokehouse. Created by a Tranzbyte-owned company called American Green, the machine is being called the “ZaZZZ” and is very similar to the automated express checkout machines that grocery stores have become dependent on in the past few years. Of course, you won’t find these machines next to the vending machines that dispense Coke, Pepsi or sugar filled candy bars. Operational versions of the ZaZZZ will be found at licensed marijuana dispensaries within Colorado.
In order to use the vending machine to obtain a typical snack like a pot brownie, the customer must first swipe their driver’s license. Using the same active biometrics that check age/ID fraud under the Control Meth Act, the customer’s identity is verified in order to complete the purchase.
In addition, customers will likely have to be verified at the marijuana dispensaries, thus providing an additional layer of security. Products that are dispensed from the machine will be tracked with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, thus allowing tight inventory controls on the marijuana-laced snacks within the vending machine.
Speaking about the typical ZaZZZ customer in an interview with The Cannibist, Tranzbyte COO Stephen Shearin said “I see someone who knows what they want approaching the machine, purchasing and departing — all within regulatory guidelines, but without the counter lines. Great for shy folk as well. Swipe ID and get verified. Select products and pay. Retrieve products and depart using appropriate bagging solution.”
Hypothetically, these vending machines could eventually exist outside of licensed marijuana dispensaries. However, additional security would need to be added to the machine and lawmakers in Colorado would need to expand the areas where marijuana and marijuana-related edibles could be sold within the state.
