LISA YAMADA
Staff Writer
If ever Jack in the Box employees dreaded the slew of late-night eaters packing drive-thru lines to satiate midnight munchies, it’s about to get worse. Vending machines, traditionally used to dispense candy, soft drinks and other snack-related items, are now being used to distribute medical marijuana 24 hours a day.
Card-carrying marijuana users will be able to purchase their prescribed pot conveniently and privately from the Herbal Nutrition Center on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, as well as from two other dispensaries that have installed the vending machines.
Vincent Mehdizadeh, inventor and owner of the HNC, told the Associated Press that the vending machines will provide users with “convenient access, lower prices, safety [and] anonymity.”
And with plans for other prescription drugs — Viagra, Vicodin, Propecia and anti-depressants — to go the vending route according to USA Today on Feb. 1, pharmacists may find their pill-counting days growing increasingly dull. Soon patients may find themselves in front of an automated black box for all their prescribed needs, instead of in line at the grocery store.
“It just shows the progression of the times,” said sophomore Chris Kanzler. “[The use of vending machines to distribute marijuana] is just one more step toward legalization and just makes marijuana quicker and easier to get.”
Here’s how it all goes down: After receiving a doctor’s prescription for marijuana, patients await approval from the mechanized, armored black box, the “PVM” or prescription vending machine, as Mehdizadeh calls it. They are fingerprinted, photographed and given a prepaid credit card, which allows them access to the store even after hours. With one swipe of the card, the stand-alone pharmacist pops out the pot in either 1/8 or 1/4 ounce-size, vacuum-sealed envelopes.
Users are limited to one ounce per week, but can choose between one of five strains, including Wild Cherry and the best-selling Purple Kush, an indicia strain said to alleviate chronic pain. Also, by eliminating the seller, the prices of the drug are lower. The 1/8-ounce packet costs about $40 to $20 less than the average price at other dispensaries.
While the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal under state law in California, marijuana is still illegal under federal law. The Drug Enforcement Agency is taking a closer look at the use of the vending machines.
“Somebody owns (it), it’s on property and somebody fills it,” DEA Special Agent Jose Martinez told USA Today on Feb. 1. “Once we find out where it’s at, we’ll look into it and see if they’re violating any laws.”
No doubt, it’s a sticky situation, which explains way some users are still uneasy about buying buds in broad daylight.
While there are no gigantic flashing arrows or no blinking neon lights advertising, “Get weed here,” many users are nonetheless uneasy about being seen entering a dispensary. Mehdizadeh said the PVMs provide a quick and stress-free solution since users can pre-purchase their dosage and pick up the drug at a more discrete hour, only to be seen by the security guard watching over the black box.
But freshman Laura Saunders is skeptical. “I’m not against marijuana for medical purposes, but why are we putting it in vending machines? It’s such a weird concept and unnecessary,” she said.
Although Los Angeles is now at the forefront of the marijuana industry, it wasn’t always this way. In 1996, the Compassionate Use Act legalized the use of the herb for medicinal purposes. In 2004, the aptly named SB 420 allowed patients or their caregivers to cultivate the plant with the approval of a physician.
Despite this, it was only within the last two years that the medical marijuana industry experienced a steep spike, growing from a small handful of dispensaries to more than 200, according to estimates. Last December alone saw 45 new dispensaries spring up in neighborhoods like Culver City, Beverly Hills and Melrose, most likely to sneak in before a proposed moratorium to curb the industry’s rapid growth.
While there is no doubt that there are patients who suffer from severe chronic pain and loss of appetite, among other symptoms that marijuana is said to alleviate, it’s doubtful every user really needs the prescribed rolled remedy.
“Anyone can get a card [for marijuana] so easily,” said freshman Erica Varela. “Like people go and say, ‘I can’t sleep or I get a headache every Thursday’ — you can say anything.”
Because of this potential for abuse, junior Adam Cargioli said he thinks it’s important that the use be regulated.
“I don’t see why it has to be in a vending machine,” Cargioli said. “It’s a prescription drug. It should be controlled by a pharmacist.”
But in Los Angeles, who has time to stand in line just to see a pharmacist? Here, where everything is rushed, where drive-thru lines are packed despite being practically empty inside, no one does.
02-07-2008
