Many adolescent characteristics predispose the adolescent towards drug and alcohol use. The increased risk or propensity towards drug use occurs primarily in relation to heightened susceptibility to peer pressure, yet it may serve to undo earlier drug prevention programming. Drug education needs to occur before drug use occurs and its evaluation must occur in early, middle, and late adolescence rather than immediately following an early drug education program. Drug educators must adopt an adequate level of evaluation methodology that follows children into adolescence, such as a longitudinal comparison of experimental and control groups or any claims of success in terms of reducing substance abuse must be considered as unproven. Drug education also needs to continue in adolescent years when the full expression of adolescent egocentrism and social development occurs. 26 references (Author abstract modified)