Victor Roach (left), president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, and chief executive officer of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Adrian Randall, making the call for a ban on smoking.

BAN smoking in all public places.

This is the joint appeal from chief executive officer of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Adrian Randall, and Victor Roach, president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency.

Their call comes on the eve of World No Tobacco Day on Saturday which has as its theme this year, Tobacco And The Youth.

Randall said not only the smokers were being affected, but those around them, noting that tobacco contributed to the major risks leading to cardiovascular disease.

Given this situation, he suggested that the Government be pressured to introduce legislation encouraging Barbadians to stop smoking. He also called for more labelling which warned pictorially and graphically of the dangers of smoking.

"The incidents of cigarette smoking in Barbados has become one of the lowest in the world, and we are determined
to keep it that way."

Randall said it was necessary to ensure tobacco smoking did not rise, increasing the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. (CT)