In Chicago, 83 percent of male arrestees tested positive for use of any drug within the 2 days before their arrest; 79 percent of male arrestees charged with violent crimes tested positive for the use of any drug within the 2 days before arrest. Law enforcement officers report that drug users are desperate to obtain money for drugs and will do just about anything to get it. The involvement of gangs in drug use and selling have compounded the problem. In the courts, drug cases constitute more than 50 percent of all felonies charged in Cook County and more than all felonies charged in any year prior to 1988. The court system's ability to process the cases in a timely manner while giving serious cases appropriate attention has been severely hampered. Corrections has found that 77 percent of the recipients of three stages of drug treatment (prison-based, work release, and community-based treatment) remained arrest-free within 18 months of their release, compared to only 46 percent of those who did not receive treatment. Forty-seven percent of the three-stage- treatment recipients remained drug-free during the 18-month period. Facts, findings, and perspectives are also presented on legislation; the impact of drug abuse on health services; how drugs impact school-age children and youth; resources for treatment and prevention; the effects of drug use and selling on neighborhoods and businesses; and the behavior of substance abusers. 2 figures