ABSTRACT
National concern over the issue of drug abuse has stimulated a major effort on the part of the Federal government and its agencies
to identify effective ways of preventing, deterring, and/or treating this behavior. Federal support for such efforts has been continuous for over three decades with associated costs rising into the tens of billions of dollars. While national survey figures indicate a general downturn in drug use during this period, a critique of the drug abuse research literature (Rebach, Bolek, Russell & WilIiams, 1992), suggests that minorities, in particular, continue to be at significant risk for a number of life threatening outcomes. These outcomes include an increased risk for mortality from infectious disease such as AIDS " ... homicide resulting from drug trafficking, suicide or accidents as a consequence of drug or alcohol use, criminal justice actions resulting from drug trafficking or use, and negative effects on school, job, general health, family, and community." The authors report that" ... although the epidemiological evidence clearly indicates the risks faced by minority group members, the review of this body of literature indicates that robust, effective prevention and treatment models have yet to emerge."
