Very young children are generally not targeted for drug education effects for two basic reasons. First, it is assumed that they are not cognitively ready to learn about specific drugs through systematic drug prevention efforts. And second, it is difficult to measure pre- and post-test changes on the part of young children if drug intervention is instituted. For this study, two assessment methods were compared: pictorial and verbal interviews. The post-test results revealed that the children who received the intervention knew significantly more about several drugs than a matched comparison group. Both methods were useful in providing a comprehensive view of what the children knew about alcohol and other drugs. There is a need for new instruments and methodologies to assess what young children know about drugs before effective intervention can occur. The instruments pilot-tested in this study are potentially useful in bringing together methodology, public policy, and intervention. Figure, tables, appendixes, references