--- title: Marijuana Vending Machine in Colorado ZaZZZ description: A marijuana vending machine debuted in Colorado over the weekend canonical: https://time.com/62027/marijuana-vending-machine-unveiled-in-colorado/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-14T20:20:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:08:46.969Z og:title: Marijuana Vending Machine Unveiled in Colorado og:description: For medicinal, not recreational, use og:url: https://time.com/62027/marijuana-vending-machine-unveiled-in-colorado/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5575c23e34cf147/69868aa1e8524b06b36025f7/marijuana-vending-machine-colorado.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: marijuana-vending-machine-colorado og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marijuana Vending Machine Unveiled in Colorado twitter:description: For medicinal, not recreational, use twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5575c23e34cf147/69868aa1e8524b06b36025f7/marijuana-vending-machine-colorado.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marijuana Vending Machine Unveiled in Colorado > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=74630229-f98a-4c51-b046-637add18cecc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 14, 2014 8:20 PM UTC  Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 14, 2014 8:20 PM UTC A marijuana vending machine debuted in Colorado over the weekend, The Denver _Post_‘s marijuana news blog [_The Cannabist_ reports](http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/04/11/direct-access-pot-vending-machines-debut-colorado-next-week/9348/). Called “ZaZZZ,” it is made by a company called American Green and will be installed in a medical marijuana dispensary called Herbal Elements in [Eagle Veil](http://kdvr.com/2014/04/11/colorados-first-marijuana-vending-machine-about-to-start-operation/). Below are images from its debut at a Montana Smokehouse event in Avon: Company unveils first age-verifying, pot vending machine [#9newsmornings](https://twitter.com/hashtag/9newsmornings?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/8Vy6gpuNET](http://t.co/8Vy6gpuNET) — 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) [April 13, 2014](https://twitter.com/9NEWS/status/455351472771710977?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) “We’re looking forward to using the ZAZZ machine to easily track all this inventory,” Herbal Elements Greg Honan [told KDVR](http://kdvr.com/2014/04/11/colorados-first-marijuana-vending-machine-about-to-start-operation/). “There’s no room for theft by patients, employees … there’s no way to lose track of the inventory.” While Medbox marijuana dispensing machines in California are [behind sales counters](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-09/medbox-dawn-of-the-marijuana-vending-machine), customers can directly access ZaZZZ without waiting in lines. Stephen Shearin, COO of American Green’s parent company Tranzbyte, [told ](http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/04/11/direct-access-pot-vending-machines-debut-colorado-next-week/9348/)[_The Cannabist_](http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/04/11/direct-access-pot-vending-machines-debut-colorado-next-week/9348/)that the machine “uses the same technology that checks age/ID fraud under the Control Meth Act. Your identity is confirmed against active biometrics.” Users with a medical marijuana card will swipe their driver’s licenses to identify themselves, [KUSA-TV](http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/04/14/pot-vending-machine/7704059/) in Denver reports. Shearin also [told ](http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/04/11/direct-access-pot-vending-machines-debut-colorado-next-week/9348/)[_The Cannabist_](http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/04/11/direct-access-pot-vending-machines-debut-colorado-next-week/9348/)that he does not think the concept will become mainstream for recreational use now or ever. It is simply meant to “enhance legal sales facilities in ensuring that controlled substances (so far as we can control at the time of sale) are dispensed solely into the hands of those who qualify legally.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/62027/marijuana-vending-machine-unveiled-in-colorado/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/62027/marijuana-vending-machine-unveiled-in-colorado/"},"headline":"Marijuana Vending Machine Unveiled in Colorado","datePublished":"2014-04-14T20:20:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:08:46.969Z","description":"It dispenses pot for medicinal, not recreational, use","url":"https://time.com/62027/marijuana-vending-machine-unveiled-in-colorado/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Business topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5575c23e34cf147/69868aa1e8524b06b36025f7/marijuana-vending-machine-colorado.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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