The cannabis industry is no stranger to automation.
Connected sensors that monitor temperature, humidity and soil conditions help achieve optimal grows; trimming and bucking machines are commonly used for processing; curious consumers can receive advice from medical chatbots; and, increasingly, automated budtenders are popping up in dispensaries and other locations.
That was the case last week in Colorado, where “anna”, an automated weed vending machine, made its debut in a Strawberry Fields dispensary in Pueblo, reports the Denver Post. The machines will also be heading to Starbuds, a second Colorado-based dispensary, later this year.
“There are experienced cannabis customers who don’t necessarily need that one-on-one interaction with a budtender,” Matt Frost, founder and CEO of anna, told the Post. “They know what they want before they walk in, they’re ready to go in and out. By doing this, we’re giving more time back to the people who do need hand-holding and want that education from a live person.”
Four machines are up and running at Strawberry Fields. Customers need to show identification to an employee before they can access the machines, which come equipped with a real-time touchscreen menu of what’s available in the dispensary, and allow consumers to pay with cash or card, before dispensing the item. Customers can also place orders ahead of time using the anna app.
Frost, who is from Massachusetts, told Merry Jane that the machines will be rolling out in his home state next month. In a press release, the company claims that the machines can hold more than 2,000 products in just under eight square feet, reducing the physical space required by dispensaries.
Frost said the company also has plans to bring CBD vending machines to market, which could be available in gas stations and other locations in the U.S. Other companies, such as greenbox, are also racing to get cannabis and CBD vending machines out the door.
“It’s about getting customers through faster with less contact,” Frost told Merry Jane. “A self-checkout solution does lend itself well to these times. There’s a bigger appetite for what we’re doing now.”