A pot vending machine known as ZaZZZ was unveiled Saturday at Montana's Smokehouse barbecue in Avon, Colo.
"Many people could look at this and say that's just a vending machine, and they'd be right but mostly wrong," Stephen Shearin, COO of American Green parent Tranzbyte, told Fox 31.
The machine will soon be stocked with goods from Herbal Elements from nearby Eagle-Vail.
They tweeted: "Check out the official unveiling today @MontanasAvon! Thanks Liz for the pics ^_^ #zazzz"
But it's not as easy as putting in $1 and getting a pot brownie to pop out. Customers will need a valid medical marijuana card and be verified through what Shearin called the machine's "active barometrics," The Cannabist blog wrote. It "uses the same technology that checks age/ID fraud under the Control Meth Act."
The machine on display does not yet accept medical cards, but people will be authorized in medical facilities before entry.
Shearin also acknowledges that the idea of buying marijuana from a machine will likely have a "wow factor" that could help boost business.
Its DIY approach will also prevent employee theft.
"We're going to eliminate the middle man," Herbal Elements owner Greg Honan told Fox 31.
Tranzbyte said competitors have been "eagerly anticipating" the machine. "We are keen to bring what we consider ground breaking technology to the market," Tranzbyte president David Gwyther said in a news release.
Those involved have no doubt the invention is revolutionary to the marijuana industry.
"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 said.
But Colorado isn't the first state to implement this easy-access method, NPR added. Companies operating out of Arizona and California developed the marijuana vending machines Endexx and Medbox, respectively. But unlike ZaZZZ, they are kept behind store counters.
