Dispense Labs

Marijuana advocates have been whining a lot lately about federal crackdowns on California pot businesses.

A Southern California company called Dispense Labs might have just come up with a solution:

A cannabis vending machine:

Genius.

One of the key elements of said machine, of course, is not having any humans around to arrest when the feds tow it away, a point acknowledged by Dispense Labs, which states that it ...

... mitigates concerns and problems that have risen from community groups, political figures and law enforcement agencies.

Yeah, baby. Local city council giving you a hard time? Move it one town over.

The company recently debuted the machine, which it only rents to "qualified" dispensaries for up to $2,000 a month.

What would prevent, say, a kid or a non-"patient" from getting some weed from the best snack machine ever?

Company founder Joe DeRobbio told the Orange County Register "there's no way to subvert" this heavily fortified and security-camera-laden system, which asks that doctor-approved patients obtain cards and pin numbers for access.

They can then use cash, plastic or debit cards.

The Dispensary Store in Santa Ana already has one.

And here's the reason: Unlike your local retailer, or the flaky guy you call in desperation, the "AutoSpense" is open and ready for you 24 hours a day.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]