I agree that pictures and words alone won't by itself convince someone to quit but, it's all part of making the choice to smoke more uncomfortable and the repetition of those images does have some effect on the smoker, whether one wants to admit it or not. Also, friends and family see the images and ask the smoker uncomfortable questions about their "habit". Chipping away at the smokers belief that THEY are the special one that won't get cancer or die minus a couple of limbs or die of a stroke or hear attack is what these negative smoking messages are all about. It's like a leaky tap - drip, drip, drip. Pretty soon, you can't ignore it. Smokers always have a choice to smoke if the want to. No one is taking that away, just making it more and more socially uncomfortable to continue to make that choice.
And yes Jo, that's what smokers are complaining about here. Smokers interviewed on the news were all up-in-arms that the government was going to make them smoke ink printed on the cigarette tubes. Now THAT would be unhealthy!