Data from the Monitoring the Future project reveal that drug use is, on average, lowest among black high school seniors; white seniors have the highest rates of smoking and heavy drinking; and Hispanic seniors have the highest rates of cocaine use. Although the use of illicit drugs has generally declined among youth in the United States between the late 1970's and the mid-1980's, the prevalence of cocaine use has increased. The research literature offers several explanations for these differences. The most basic explanation is that minority youths are less likely than white youths to report their drug use truthfully. A second explanation is the abstinence/abuse hypothesis, according to which those minority youths who do use drugs are more likely than white youths to use heavily, resulting in a disproportionate share of drug related problems. Additional explanations focus on gender differences within groups, the lack of school dropouts among surveyed youths, and the availability of discretionary income. Further research is recommended to identify and understand the factors that influence drug use. 22 references