cigarette vending machines are still super common here in Vienna as well. There's always teens hanging around them asking people to swipe their cards to buy the cigarettes in exchange of cash
A bit of history to this - previously there were just machines, you put in cash and get cigarettes - but then it was decided this made it too easy for underage people to buy cigarettes so now you have to use a bank card (I think?) for identification, so young people just hang around the machines and ask a passerby to lend them their card.
Here in Italy you need to use your Codice Fiscale or Carta d'Identità cards (both official documents) as (debit) cards (pre-paid or connected to some bank account) can be obtained as early as 13 or so (of course authorized by parents).
