In patriarchal cultures, women are given the moral obligation of treating their bodies according to a gender code. Women who use drugs are viewed as "polluted women," warranting a negative moral judgment more severe than men who use drugs. Moral judgment is even stronger toward women who use drugs while they are pregnant or are responsible for the care of their children. A drug-using woman becomes the cultural representation of a failed woman who does not care enough about her body. In addition, the basic cultural message for a woman is that she should be in control of herself at all times so she can properly serve her partner, her children, her home responsibilities, and employment expectations. Drug use is viewed as undermining the essential role for a woman, i.e., to serve others in accordance with what they expect of her. Ironically, for women, drug use may be an attempt to escape the mental state and stress that accompanies being powerless and submissive under the expectations placed upon women and their bodies. Consequently, factors related to why women use drugs and how people in a women's world react to their drug use pose a distinctive challenge for those who seek to prevent and treat female drug use. 47 references