News, A new wrinkle in smoking enforcement... (buyers, legal)

[JD59]

TOKYO (Reuters) - Cigarette vending machines in Japan may soon start counting wrinkles, crow's feet and skin sags to see if the customer is old enough to smoke.

The legal age for smoking in Japan is 20 and as the country's 570,000 tobacco vending machines prepare for a July regulation requiring them to ensure buyers are not underage, a company has developed a system to identify age by studying facial features.

A new wrinkle in smoking enforcement... | Oddly Enough | Reuters

[gv0928]

That'd never work - people age differently. Someone who is 16 can look like they're 10 years older, while someone who is indeed 20 can look like they're 15.

It's a bad idea.