The Federal Government established two recognition programs in 1987. These are the Education Department's Drug-Free School Recognition Program and the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention's Exemplary Program Study. Both recognition efforts limit eligible programs to those with a no-use approach to drug abuse prevention for youth. However, current research has not demonstrated the general superiority of this prevention approach over responsible use approaches that do not condone drug use while emphasizing informed decisionmaking, risk reduction, and reduction in use for those already involved. The four procedural weaknesses are the lack of sufficiently systematic or comprehensive nomination procedures, lack of clearly defined application procedure, an absence of requirements for effectiveness data, and reviewer panels lacking individuals with the methodological skills to pursue or critique effectiveness evidence. In addition, the Exemplary Program Study did not conduct site visits to verify and supplement the information in written applications, and the Drug-Free School Recognition Program allows further review of recommendations by a steering committee that is less well-informed. Tables, appended background information, and 9 references