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Cannabis-Friendly Industrial Designers: What Should a Marijuana Vending Machine Look Like?

One joint at a time, built-in lighter?

By Rain Noe - April 12, 2023

in Object Culture

As marijuana becomes decriminalized and/or legalized, how long until we start seeing pot vending machines? It does raise the question of how they'd be packaged: Loose? Rolled? While cigarettes come 20 to a pack, somehow that figure sounds high (no pun intended) for a pack of joints.

Which makes me wonder if single, pre-rolled joint vending machines could catch on. (ID students looking for your thesis project, you're welcome.) Believe it or not, single-cigarette vending machines do exist—and have since at least 1931, when an unknown British inventor devised a coin-operated loosie dispenser that even lit the cigarette for you:

No word on how the thing worked.

As for the single-cigarette vending machine of today, they're not exactly marvels of industrial design. This one is manufactured in South Africa:

It too features a built-in lighter, though it's no mystery as to how it works:

The description reads:

"Sturdy, well built machine. Hygienic and eye catching. Cigarettes remain fresh for longer. Holds 740 loose cigarettes. Adjustable coin mechanism - 6 way - set your own price. Has lock and key."

"Mountable, counter top or wall. Fitted built in lighter. User friendly. Mechanical and manual - no electricity required."

It's "eye catching" alright, but in the wrong way. The thing looks like it was designed in Minecraft.

Other than that, this category of object is pretty slim. I was able to find this video showing a Marlboro-branded single-cigarette vending machine in Mexico, and that's about it. This design, at the least, leaves little doubt as to what it sells (but offers no lighter):

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Back to the cannabis thing: What would/should/could a vending machine for loosie joints look like? What would be an economical and more attractive way to integrate a lighter? What I wouldn't give to see a pot-friendly ID professor assign this to a class.

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Dan Lewis

a year ago

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There shouldn't be cannabis vending machines. Like there are no more cigarette vending machines, and there aren't any beer, wine, or spirts vending machines - there is no way to control legal age requirements.

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Karl Hungus

a year ago

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The worst part of legal cannabis is the unnecessary packaging. I get they have to "child proof" the packaging for illiterate children, it's just immediately thrown away. As for pre rolls, 99% of them taste terrible, mostly leaf, and are overpriced. Everyone should learn how to properly roll a joint. Also, no one says pot anymore unless your over the age of 60, it's cannabis, weed, herb, anything but "pot".

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Lyle Guanzon

a year ago

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I worked in cannabis packaging for a few years. There are a lot of regulations and child safety guidelines you have to follow. A vending machine would only be allowed in cannabis dispensaries, not open public spaces. Lowell Farms has a cool, vintage-inspired vending machine for their pre-roll packs.

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- Eric Ludlum
  
  Lyle Guanzon
  
  a year ago
  
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  True, given that they have to be in a dispensary where a human has to be present to check IDs I don't know what benefit a vending machine provides to vendor or consumer. In any case someone in Colorado made one!
  
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