Safe, Effective, and Legally Compliant Medical Marijuana Distribution System Soon Available in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than a month after Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation legalizing the safe and closely monitored use of medical marijuana, Kind Clinics, LLC, an experienced dispensary consulting firm providing support services and patented technology for dispensing and cultivating medical marijuana, is the first to publicly enter the Connecticut market with the opening of its business office in downtown Hartford.

"Thanks to this new legislation, thousands of seriously ill patients will benefit from having safe, reliable and legal access to a medicine that helps them cope with their suffering," said Dr. Bruce Bedrick, CEO of Kind Clinics and Medbox™, Inc., a global leader in automated, biometrically controlled dispensing systems. "To be taken seriously as a medicine, marijuana must be provided in a professional and clinical manner."

The Kind Clinics and Medbox method of operation, in conjunction with the new Connecticut law, offers a variety of fully compliant safeguards for dispensaries, including:

• Automated, armored machines - no hand dispensing
• Online connection to the State Department of Consumer Protection for inventory and identification control
• Fingerprint scanning that limits access to the dispensing machine to properly authorized patients or clerks
• Use of pre-paid system debit cards – dispensing machines do not accept cash
• Medbox machine storage in State-approved dispensary locations
• Clerk physically on the premises during all hours of operation.

"The process is safe, reliable and completely transparent," Bedrick explains. "Patients with a physician's formal recommendation are given pre-paid purchasing cards and their accounts are automatically debited every time a dispensary employee accesses the machine to obtain the patient's medicine. Through this process, inventory and revenue generated by the clinic or dispensary is tracked via computer-based application. This transparency helps ensure compliance with state laws relative to medicinal cannabis distribution."

The Medbox system allows patients the choice of up to 50 different varieties of medicine via touch-screen user interface. The system also ensures that the patient's physician-recommended approval to possess and use the drug has not expired and that amounts dispensed are consistent with State law.

The patient and caregiver registration process begins October 1, 2012. It has not yet been determined when the Connecticut licensing application process for dispensaries and cultivators, which will be overseen by the state Department of Consumer Protection, begins.

Located on Pratt Street in Hartford, Kind Clinics and Medbox will help identify and prepare potential licensees with a variety of services including helping individuals and groups obtain licenses for dispensaries and cultivation facilities in Connecticut; giving them a competitive advantage in the application process and beyond through the use of patented, proven technology; assisting them in obtaining dispensing machine permits; and providing marketing materials and guidance every step of the way.  Kind Clinics and Medbox do not operate the dispensaries - they license the technology and provide marketing support and a consistent, professional image for dispensaries, ensuring they are legal, compliant, professional and safe.

With the passage of the law, Connecticut joined 17 other states and the District of Columbia in approving the use of medical marijuana for specific medical conditions.

Kind Clinics currently provides medical marijuana support services and the patented Medbox dispensing machines in Arizona, where they helped more than 100 prospective applicants apply for Arizona licenses. Additionally, Kind Clinics and Medbox, through independent operators using its technology and consulting services nationwide, have helped thousands of patients acquire safe access to their approved medications.

The use of medical marijuana in Connecticut has been approved for the treatment of cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, crohn's disease, agitation of Alzheimer's disease, or the treatment of these conditions.

Medicinal marijuana also can be recommended by physicians for patients suffering from a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or treatment that produces one or more of the following: Cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe nausea; seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis.

Connecticut will appoint a special physician panel to review requests and make recommendations for adding other coverage criteria.

About Dr. Bruce Bedrick & Kind Clinics
Bruce Bedrick is the CEO of Kind Clinics, LLC and Medbox, Inc. Bedrick, a chiropractic physician solidly grounded in holistic and complementary therapies, started Kind Clinics after years of working with patients suffering from severe pain, chronic illnesses and other diseases and disorders for which conventional medicine did not provide relief. Bedrick was introduced to Medbox, Inc. and was appointed as CEO of the public company in January 2012. He is committed to providing safe, convenient and controlled access to medical cannabis so dispensaries, the patients they serve, and law enforcement can work in concert to provide safe access to all who medically need the drug. The patented medicine-dispensing machine and software technology has been featured on CNN, Reuter's, Associated Press, BBC, ABC, and many other news sources, dating back to 2008. Visit www.kindclinics.com .

About Medbox
Medbox is a leader in the development, sales and service of automated, biometrically controlled dispensing and storage systems for medicine and merchandise. Medbox has offices throughout the world, including New York, Tokyo, and Toronto, and has their corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. Medbox provides their patented systems, software and consulting services to pharmacies, urgent care centers, clinics, hospitals, and medical groups worldwide. Medbox, Inc. is a publicly traded company, and is listed on the OTC Board, ticker symbol MDBX. For more information on Medbox go online to www.medboxinc.com  

SOURCE Medbox