On legalized marijuana, where is the anti-smoking crowd? So a kid can walk up to a vending machine and buy a hit now? What about second-hand pot smoke? What about banning pot smoke in restaurants and work places (I don’t see any signs posted). What about smoking and cancer? (Don’t try to tell me pot smoke is different!) Where are the anti-smoking Nazis when you need them? [Do I hear crickets?]
How different is up for debate but most studies and personal experience puts pot on the safer side. I knew many athletes that smoked it but never tobacco. In any case, pot smokers inhale far less smoke. They inhale maybe 1-3 times and share a small pipe/cig with breaks. While a tobacco smoker typically smokes a big cig that contains far more plant matter (by weight) for 10-15 minutes constantly.
I can also tell you 100% that pot smoke stinks up homes far less and airs out far more quickly than tobacco smoke. I knew kids that would frequently smoke pot in the house 1-2 days before their parents came home from trips. Hell, even have parties where pot but no cigs were allowed. Everyone knows you could NEVER pull that off with tobacco.
A kid can only buy from the machines with a cannabis card. They buy tobacco and booze with fake/borrowed ID now. I do agree that the presence of a clerk would prevent really young kids from simply swiping a borrowed ID. As it is, these machines are a bad idea. They can allow 24/7 store sales or use biometrics at the machine. Thumb scanners or face recognition is cheap now.