Medicine vending machine company sues Jerry Cox and the Family Council Action Committee

Medbox MDS medicine storing machine

Courtesy, Medbox, Inc.

Medicine vending machine company Medbox has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against Jerry Cox and the Family Council Action Committee for their use of the company’s trademarked imagery during a recent press conference objecting to Issue 5, a ballot measure that would legalize the medical use of marijuana for Arkansas patients with certain conditions.

From the lawsuit:

During his speech, Mr. Cox had an exact cardboard replica of the MDS (Medicine Dispensing System). The replica had the words “Medbox” printed on it, and it was an exact representation of a MDS. The Defendants altered the MDS by pasting a large marijuana leaf to the MDS.

During the press conference, Cox stood next to the cardboard replica of the Medbox machine and told reporters, “It’s just yet another way to put more marijuana in the hands of the public. These machines … don’t run 8 to 5. They run 24/7.”

Medbox believes the Christian conservative group has tarnished the image and the technology of the company.

“The medical marijuana industry cannot justify the need for 24-hour access to the product, and that is why the company does not allow any of our machines to be used in that capacity in this industry,” said Dr. Bruce Bedrick, CEO of Medbox, Inc. “Medbox stands for transparency, legal compliance, and responsible behavior. Mr. Cox has falsely portrayed that our company and machines are part of a problem when in fact our technology is part of the solution – by providing secure means of dispensing sensitive medications like medical marijuana, behind-the-counter and at the control of clinic staff.”

Medbox seeks an unspecified amount of damages, an injunction forbidding more false statements or use of mock-ups and Medbox imagery, and a court order requiring the defendants to make a public statement and publish on their website an apology to Medbox.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act (aka Issue 5) is on the statewide ballot for the Nov. 6 general election.