The results of these papers are presented. Alcohol and drug abuse is considered by many to be the number one mental health problem among American Indians. In the Asian and Pacific American population, there is a diversity that adds complexity to the drug abuse research effort, however, the data available indicates a serious problem in this group. A major shortcoming in drug abuse research among blacks is that blacks are always compared with whites, with the behavior of whites being the norm from which blacks deviated. What is needed is a cross-cultural approach that views the behaviors of black individuals in terms of their meanings within particular subcultures and yet avoids the extremes of cultural relativism. The difference between Hispanic addicts and non Hispanic addicts rests primarily on sociocultural factors in which horizontal mobility (foreign or domestic migration) and/or vertical mobility plays an important role. More information is needed on the use and abuse patterns among ethnic minority adults, elderly, refugees, homeless, pregnant women and families as a unit. 2 tables and 156 references.