Excluding issues of underreporting and misrepresentation, by only asking respondents three drug-use questions, the BCS questionnaire design limits analysis of drug use in the United Kingdom to that at the extensive margin. Specifically, the BCS does not provide information on the frequency of drug use and the quantities consumed, nor does it reveal the age at which first-use occurred. Still, in the absence of the kinds of detail needed to assess drug-use patterns in detail, the BCS data do permit the determination of some underlying patterns of drug use. The results of the current analysis of BCS data for 1994 and 1996 suggest that approximately 25 percent of the adult population between the ages of 16 and 59 have tried at least one illicit drug in their lifetime, with 1 in 10 adults reporting the use of drugs in the past year. There is a greater prevalence of soft drug use than of class A drugs, but the factors that influence consumption of either class of drug are similar. When considering individuals who have used drugs in the past but have not done so in the past year, findings show that young white males have the highest probability of use. Generally, family stability (e.g. marriage), religious practice, and being of ethnic origin (particularly Asian) tend to reduce significantly the probability of both class A and class B/C drug use. 12 tables and 33 references