The second largest group of persons at risk for AIDS is IV drug users, with cases concentrated in New York City. Transmission is believed to occur through the transfer of small amounts of blood during the sharing of needles. IV drug users appear to be a bridge to two other groups at increased risk: children and heterosexual partners. There are two impediments to the perception of AIDS as a health risk by IV drug users: (1) the long latency period between exposure to HIV and the development of diagnosable AIDS; and (2) the difficulty in distinguishing AIDS as a singularly important cause of death compared with many other causes of death in the group. The increase in other narcotic-related deaths raises questions about possible causal relationships between HIV exposure and susceptibility to nonopportunistic infections in drug users. In 1983, the Street Research Unit, a service to monitor drug activity in New York City, was used to conduct extensive interviews with 18 IV drug users who were not in treatment at the time. They had all heard of AIDS, believed it was spread through the sharing of needles, and reported an increased demand for 'new' needles among IV drug users as a result of AIDS. 2 tables, 1 exhibit, and 18 references.