{"id":9252,"date":"2020-08-17T15:30:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T15:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=4208896&amp;preview_id=4208896"},"modified":"2020-08-17T15:30:11","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T15:30:11","slug":"weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Weed vending machine debuts in Colorado with more on the way"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ss-inline-share-wrapper ss-hover-animation-fade ss-with-counter-border ss-inline-total-counter-left ss-stretched-inline-content ss-large-icons ss-rectangle-icons ss-without-labels\">\n<div class=\"ss-inline-share-content\"> <!-- Total share counter --> <\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"ss-total-counter ss-total-shares ss-share-inline_content-total-shares\" data-ss-ss-post-id=\"243437\"> <span>9.7K<\/span> <span>Shares<\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END .ss-inline-share-content --> <\/div>\n<p><!-- END .ss-inline-share-wrapper --> <\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-243462\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"968\" height=\"1452\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna, the weed vending machine, debuted at Strawberry Fields dispensary in Pueblo. The company hopes to expand to other Colorado location in 2020. (Submitted by anna)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In an era when consumers can buy groceries, pet supplies and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lizzo-Green-Dress-Mini-Cutout\/dp\/B07TD4SZGS\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=lizzo%2Bcutout&amp;qid=1597338961&amp;sr=8-1&amp;th=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a life-size cardboard cutout of Lizzo<\/a> without directly seeing a human, one company is ensuring Coloradans can also purchase their cannabis contactless.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Frost\u00a0is founder and CEO of Anna, what he calls a \u201ctricked out vending machine\u201d designed to take and fill orders for marijuana products. The first ones landed at <a href=\"https:\/\/strawberryfieldscannabis.com\/pueblo-central-colorado-recreational-dispensary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strawberry Fields dispensary<\/a> in central Pueblo, where customers can now purchase flower, edibles and vape oils without having to interact with a budtender. They\u2019ll debut at a second dispensary, Starbuds in Aurora, sometime this year.<\/p>\n<p>Frost, whose background is in healthcare data analytics, originally developed the concept to adapt the efficiency of a retail self-checkout system to the marijuana industry. In his home state of Massachusetts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/metro\/2019\/08\/25\/months-after-opening-brookline-marijuana-store-still-one-america-busiest-and-not-everyone-thrilled\/2tFqGMYsN8XVa5ykTLY9MI\/story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dispensary waits can be hours-long<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/local-news\/2020\/07\/31\/marijuana-dispensary-brookline-coolidge-corner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">some shops require patrons schedule a pickup time<\/a> for pre-ordered products.<\/p>\n<p>But as the COVID-19 pandemic forced pot shops to adapt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/03\/19\/online-cannabis-sales-colorado-social-distancing\/\">increased demand for online ordering and curbside pickup<\/a>, Frost saw an opportunity to help them modernize and get in on the contactless craze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are experienced cannabis customers who don\u2019t necessarily need that one-on-one interaction with a budtender. They know what they want before they walk in, they\u2019re ready to go in and out. By doing this we\u2019re giving more time back to the people who do need hand holding and want that education from a live person,\u201d Frost said. \u201cWith COVID and social distancing and contactless, definitely we have an appeal there, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/03\/19\/online-cannabis-sales-colorado-social-distancing\/\"><em>Calls for social distancing spark demand for online cannabis sales in Colorado<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Anna set up four vending machines inside Strawberry Fields, so customers still need to show identification and check in to use them. Each one displays a digital version of the menu on a 27-inch touch screen where patrons can fill their virtual basket and pay with cash or a debit card. Anna then dispenses the items, offering a grab-and-go experience.<\/p>\n<p>Customers can also pre-order using the Anna app and then quickly check out using the machine.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsletter_ad\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-221981\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way.gif\" alt=\"the know outdoors instagram\" width=\"529\" height=\"529\" align=\"alignright\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>You likely won\u2019t find any snacks in these vending machines \u2014 just weed, Frost said, at least for now. In addition to a Colorado expansion and Massachusetts market debut, he is also eyeing the CBD market and hopes to put Anna machines selling non-psychoactive cannabis products in gas stations and retail stores in the near future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe partnership that we\u2019re about to strike I have to keep under wraps for now, but [it\u2019s] a very significant CBD distribution opportunity that we\u2019re excited about,\u201d Frost said. \u201cI think you\u2019ll be seeing this rollout absolutely in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/newsletter-signup\/in-the-know\"><b><i>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way-1.png\" class=\"ss-hidden-pin-image\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/theknow.denverpost.com\/2020\/08\/17\/weed-vending-machine-pueblo-colorado\/243437\/\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/weed-vending-machine-debuts-in-colorado-with-more-on-the-way-1.png\" data-pin-description=\"Weed vending machine debuts in Colorado with more on the way\" \/> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ss-inline-share-wrapper ss-hover-animation-fade ss-with-counter-border ss-inline-total-counter-left ss-stretched-inline-content ss-large-icons ss-rectangle-icons ss-without-labels\">\n<div class=\"ss-inline-share-content\"> <!-- Total share counter --> <\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"ss-total-counter ss-total-shares ss-share-inline_content-total-shares\" data-ss-ss-post-id=\"243437\"> <span>9.7K<\/span> <span>Shares<\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END .ss-inline-share-content --> <\/div>\n<p><!-- END .ss-inline-share-wrapper --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>In an era when consumers can buy groceries, pet supplies and even a life-size cardboard cutout of Lizzo without directly seeing a human, one company is ensuring Coloradans can also purchase their cannabis contactless. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[52,330,2435,6813,4995,77,9,5019,8300,1,3,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[2632,2908,2436,6818,4996,2655,5022,8301,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}