In the District of Columbia, virtually all indicators of drug abuse reflect a decline over the past few years in the level of illicit drug use and involvement. Indicators of drug abuse include measures of the medical consequences measures of criminal-justice related drug involvement, and measures of street-drug activity. Emergency room drug mentions reached a peak in 1988, but then declined for all major drugs including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and PCP. Overdose deaths due to cocaine or heroin declined from 219 in 1987 to 68 in 1990. In 1988, 73 percent of adult arrestees tested positive for at least one drug; this figure dropped to 56 percent in 1990 and seems to be stabilizing in 1991. The proportion of juveniles testing positive declined to 16 percent in 1990, but increased slightly in 1991 due to a rise in positive marijuana tests. Drug abuse trends are reviewed for cocaine, heroin/morphine, PCP, marijuana, and alcohol. The report also addresses the issues of trends in drug arrests, drug-related homicide and violence, and AIDS among intravenous drug users. 6 exhibits