Results revealed declines in the use of some illicit drugs among high school seniors and even larger declines in their use among college students and young adults. However, a stall occurred in these favorable trends in 1985, as well as an increase in active cocaine use. Declines began in cocaine use in 1987 and in crack use in 1992. However, in 1992, while high school seniors continued to improve on some measures, the college students and young adults did not. In addition, the attitudes and beliefs of high school seniors regarding drug use began to soften. College students had annual usage rates for any illicit drug, hallucinogens, heroin, LSD, opiates other than heroin, and marijuana that were about average for their age group, although their rate of daily marijuana use was about half that for the rest of their age group. Eighty-eight percent of college students had tried alcohol; 40 percent had consumed five or more drinks in a row at least once in the prior 2-week period. By their late 20's, more than 70 percent of the young adults had tried an illicit drug; 47 percent had tried an illicit drug other than marijuana. The secondary students and young adults had a higher level of involvement with illicit drugs than documented in any other industrialized country. Tables and figures