And, with its next National Strategy currently in the works, the organisation is looking for ways to tackle all forms of substance abuse as Bermuda enters the new Millennium.

The NDC has been placing advertisements in newspapers asking smokers to commit to quit during the "The Great American Smoke Out'' today, a day which has been set aside so people can attempt to kick their habit in a communal effort.

A survey from four years ago indicated that about 25 percent of Bermudian adults had smoked within the previous 30 days.

But an NDC student survey encouragingly showed that cigarette use had been on a three-year decline among young people, from 43 percent in 1994 to 33.7 percent in 1997.

Despite this, NDC Chief Executive Officer Derrick Binns said he felt that there was a lot of pressure out there for adults and children to take up smoking.

He explained that the idea behind the day was "to give smokers a chance not only to stop for the day, but to commit to quitting smoking altogether''.

Dr. Binns added that smoking was just one of the issues that the NDC board was placing on the agenda in coming up with a new strategy for tackling drugs.

"We are in the process of putting together a prevention plan that will be part of the overall plan of attack that we're formulating,'' he said.

This "plan of attack'' is expected to be comprehensive in its coverage of ideas and programmes aimed at extinguishing drugs from Bermuda.

"This national strategy,'' Dr. Binns said, "like its predecessor in 1996, will consist of six areas.''