Specific factors associated with variations in Hispanic drug use include acculturation, social class, urban and rural setting, gender, age, and selected psychosocial variables. National survey data generally depict lower lifetime prevalence rates of drug use among Hispanics as compared with Anglos, but the data fail to support the conclusion that drug use and abuse is any less a problem among Hispanics. In certain high-risk Hispanic neighborhoods, subgroups, and families, drug abuse is a chronic, multigenerational, and serious problem. Men use illicit drugs at higher rates than do women, and friends emerge as the strongest single factor influencing the initiation and maintenance of drug use among Hispanics. Treatment efforts with Hispanic clients have experienced mixed success. The need exists to expand drug treatment programs within Hispanic communities and to develop educational programs to fight the spread of AIDS. 21 notes and 3 tables