OSAP believes that drug legalization is not a viable means of reducing and eliminating drug and alcohol use among Americans, especially adolescents. The impact of legalization would be particularly hard felt in black communities, which bear the brunt of many social problems, including drug abuse. This statement addresses the dangers that drug legalization poses in terms of increasing the incidence of AIDS, making drugs available to pregnant women and addicts, and affecting the educational attainment and socioeconomic position of minority group members. Comparisons are drawn with the legal drugs of alcohol and tobacco to estimate the consequences to society in general of legalizing illicit drugs.