Melting 'pot' LA gets marijuana vending machines

NO HAPPY DAY YET: Marijuana will only be allowed to people with medical purposes.

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New Delhi: In Los Angeles, after cola and condoms, vending machines will dispense marijuana. But this does not mean easy access to a happy day.

Only those with legal medical prescriptions will be able to use the machine. They will be issued a pre-paid security card with fingerprint ID, and they'll have to swipe it to get the drug.

The Herbal Nutrition Centre in Los Angeles has installed the machines to help people explore little known medicinal uses of the drug. Use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal in 11 states in the US.

The machine stocks six different types of marijuana, used to treat a wide range of medical conditions.

IANS reports Purchasers will be limited to some 28g of marijuana a month, dispensed in packets of 7g or 3.5g.

Inventor and owner Vincent Mehdizadeh says future plans include machine-vended pharmaceuticals like Vicodin and Viagra that offer the same benefits of "convenient access, lower prices, safety and anonymity".

Mehdizadeh said he spent seven months developing and patenting the black, armoured box, which he calls the "PVM", or prescription vending machine.

Medical marijuana is legal under State law in California but is still considered illegal under federal law.

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