Recent research indicates that the primary route of AIDS transmission into the general heterosexual population is by intravenous (IV) drug abusers, who directly account for about 17 percent of AIDS cases nationwide. Reducing the spread of AIDS within this group would not only reduce the overall toll of the disease, but should limit its spread to the population at large. In the IV drug using community, the primary intervention strategies include: educating IV drug users about the hazards of AIDS and sharing of needles; enrolling them in treatment programs to reduce drug use; and promoting the use of new or sterilized syringes and needles among those who will not abstain from drug use. The State of California has already increased the number of treatment slots for IV drug users and is scaling up its educational, prevention, and intervention activities. 6 tables, 34 notes.