Dispension Industries holds the Canadian distribution rights for a technology designed to deliver regulated products in a secure manner.

A Dartmouth company is hoping one day Nova Scotians will be allowed to get cannabis from a vending machine that would only dispense pot to verified customers.

Dispension Industries holds the Canadian distribution rights for a technology designed to deliver regulated products in a secure manner.

"The way we do that is by implementing a dispensing system that verifies a person's identity by using their vascular imprint, which is the vein pattern, to give them access to the regulated products kept inside," explained co-founder Corey Yantha.

Each user would have to register for the service and have their finger scanned using an infrared sensor.

"That scan maps the finger, which is basically a 3D model of your vein pattern. It cannot be falsified or lifted as far as a fingerprint goes," he told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show. "This is the most secure biometric technology available on the market."

Even the classic spy movie scenario where a severed finger is used to gain access wouldn't work with the system because the pattern wouldn't be recognized without blood flow.

The company's business plan has mostly focused on using the technology for cannabis distribution once the product is legalized.

"We identified a lot of the problems the government would run into as far as access," he said. "We tried to build our strategy around addressing the objectives of the Cannabis Act specifically."

For example, in this province twelve NSLCs have been chosen to sell the product. Nova Scotians not near a bricks and mortar store will have to grow their own or purchase pot online.

Dispension's machines could speed up that process by eliminating the wait for delivery.

"You could expand access to all Nova Scotians in a very low cost way. You can reduce the impact of the black market operating in these rural communities," explained Yantha. "Wouldn't it be great if you could purchase online then go pickup at one of our machines nearby?"

He added the biometric identification would ensure nobody under the age of 19 would be able to gain access to pot from one of their machines.

Yantha is hopeful their their technology could be used for cannabis distribution in parts of Canada, however, the province's Department of Justice said that isn't a possibility at this time.

"Under federal law, dispensing devices or self-service of cannabis is not permitted," said spokesperson Andrew Preeper in an emailed statement to HalifaxToday.ca. "As this is illegal under Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, it is not something the province is looking at."

In an interview with Civilized, a digital media site highlighting cannabis culture, Yantha said the company has had "very promising and productive dialogue with federal legislators" about the sections of Bill C-45 that ban their machines.

"Recent meetings with several Nova Scotian MPs have resulted in commitments to address this matter with Ministers and Senators in Ottawa," he told Civilized.

Dispension Industries is also working on a prototype to use their technology on the West Coast for a different purpose.

Dr. Mark Tyndall, Executive Medical Director of the BC Centre for Disease Control, hopes the machines could help ease Vancouver's drug crisis.

"He sees this machine as a very effective public health tool -- with very low barriers and no stigma -- to dispense opioids to people in at-risk communities," explained Yantha. "They would allow them to access clean drugs rather than dirty drugs and really prevent a lot of overdoses and stress on emergency response."

Over 1,400 people died in British Columbia due to overdoses last year.

Tyndall told Maclean's Magazine the machine would tightly control how many hydromorphone pills it dispenses.

"We need to offer people the opportunity to get drugs that won't kill them," he said in the article earlier this year.

According to Maclean's, the pilot project -- funded through a $1.4-million, three-year Health Canada grant -- will distribute pills to between 200 and 300 people three times a day.