Only in LA: Pot Vending Machines

Always on the leading edge, LA is now the first city to have 24-hour medical marijuana vending machines. The bulky black boxes scan patrons' fingerprints and a prepaid card, dispensing neat green envelopes of pot. The machines provide "convenient access, lower prices, safety, anonymity," the inventor tells the AP.

Federal drug officials, who don't recognize California's medical marijuana laws, may not be cool with the contraptions. "We'll look into it and see if they're violating laws," says a DEA agent. But the machines' customers say the new gadgets help prevent illegal use. "You have kids that want to get high and that's not what marijuana is for," says one.   (More marijuana stories.)