A pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus comprising: an enclosure (303, 500, 600, 810, 1010, 1110, 1301) having a plurality of locations (620, 817, 844, 1210), each location being assigned a location identification, each location being capable of accepting a pharmaceutical package configured to contain a plurality of serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages (300, 410, 715, 845, 945, 1250, 1304, 1407), the enclosure including a storage cabinet having a dispensing face and an inventory loading face, wherein the plurality of locations is defined by conduit slots (250, 301, 520, 731, 745, 710, 844, 1210) running a length through the cabinet from the inventory loading face to the dispensing face, wherein the plurality of serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages are retained in the conduit slots by an arm (430, 935) under spring tension in a closed position to limit movement of a serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages; a data reader (825, 940, 1306) operatively associated with said plurality of locations, wherein said reader is arranged to read data associated with said plurality of pharmaceutical packages at the time of storing the package in the dispenser and is arranged to associate said pharmaceutical package data with the location identification data indicating where the package is stored, said location identification data and pharmaceutical package data being stored in a memory; a communications means for accepting prescription data from an associated computer, and for storing the prescription data in said memory; a data processor associated with said memory, wherein the data processor is arranged to control the operations of the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus, the data processor is arranged to retrieve from said memory the prescription data, location identification data and pharmaceutical package data and is arranged to provide instructions for dispensing the pharmaceuticals corresponding to the prescription data; a dispensing mechanism (300, 400, 835, 900) wherein the dispensing mechanism is arranged to receive said instructions for dispensing and is arranged to dispense the specified quantity of unit dose pharmaceutical packages corresponding to the prescription data by moving the dispensing mechanism to the location corresponding to the assigned location identification data associated with the pharmaceutical package data stored in memory and lifting the arm retaining the serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages and advance the serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages for dispensing. an enclosure (303, 500, 600, 810, 1010, 1110, 1301) having a plurality of locations (620, 817, 844, 1210), each location being assigned a location identification, each location being capable of accepting a pharmaceutical package configured to contain a plurality of serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages (300, 410, 715, 845, 945, 1250, 1304, 1407), the enclosure including a storage cabinet having a dispensing face and an inventory loading face, wherein the plurality of locations is defined by conduit slots (250, 301, 520, 731, 745, 710, 844, 1210) running a length through the cabinet from the inventory loading face to the dispensing face, wherein the plurality of serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages are retained in the conduit slots by an arm (430, 935) under spring tension in a closed position to limit movement of a serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages; a data reader (825, 940, 1306) operatively associated with said plurality of locations, wherein said reader is arranged to read data associated with said plurality of pharmaceutical packages at the time of storing the package in the dispenser and is arranged to associate said pharmaceutical package data with the location identification data indicating where the package is stored, said location identification data and pharmaceutical package data being stored in a memory; a communications means for accepting prescription data from an associated computer, and for storing the prescription data in said memory; a data processor associated with said memory, wherein the data processor is arranged to control the operations of the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus, the data processor is arranged to retrieve from said memory the prescription data, location identification data and pharmaceutical package data and is arranged to provide instructions for dispensing the pharmaceuticals corresponding to the prescription data; a dispensing mechanism (300, 400, 835, 900) wherein the dispensing mechanism is arranged to receive said instructions for dispensing and is arranged to dispense the specified quantity of unit dose pharmaceutical packages corresponding to the prescription data by moving the dispensing mechanism to the location corresponding to the assigned location identification data associated with the pharmaceutical package data stored in memory and lifting the arm retaining the serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages and advance the serially connected pharmaceutical unit dose packages for dispensing.