It's just one part of a larger educational campaign. The goal is to not let there be a time when people "forget", or more accurately choose to ignore, the healt

It's just one part of a larger educational campaign. The goal is to not let there be a time when people "forget", or more accurately choose to ignore, the health risks. The warnings on the packaging are mostly targeted at non-smokers who might become smokers. If they decide to buy some cigarettes, they can't avoid being reminded of the long-term effects. If they buy them regardless, every time they pull out a cigarette they're reminded of what might happen should they develop a full addiction. After a decade or two of lowered rates of new smokers, the population achieves a sort of critical mass of non-smokers that change the public attitude toward smoking. At this point banning smoking in public places, or increasing tobacco taxes, become politically tolerable.