Controlled substances acts (CSAs) form the basis for State and local drug law enforcement activity. State and local officials have begun to review these laws in an effort to determine how they can be applied more effectively or whether they should be modified to help officials achieve specific enforcement objectives. Officials are likely to compare a given State’s statute with those of other States to help achieve their objectives. However, there was no single compilation of CSA’s that permitted this. In 1988, the Guide to State Controlled Substances Acts was created to fill the information gap by describing the purposes and development of CSA’s, identifying common elements of CSA’s recent developments, summarizing elements of each State CSA, and providing charts for ready comparison. This revised edition is current through December 1997. It has been expanded to include coverage on types of CSA provisions recently developed or subject to increasing attention as well as discussion of provisions addressing drug control concerns. The Guide is divided into four sections. The first section reviews the history of Federal efforts to regulate drugs and general variations among State CSA’s. The second includes a general overview and comparative analysis of State CSA provisions and discusses recent trends in State drug law development. The third section consists of State-by-State summaries. These summaries are in chart form. Each summary provides information regarding scheduling; offenses; statutorily authorized sentences; paraphernalia provisions; counterfeit and imitation drug provisions; provisions concerning offenses involving minors; drug–free zones provisions; safehouse provisions; statutorily imposed drug testing provisions; and a miscellaneous category that addresses the possession of marijuana for medical or therapeutic research purposes and drug dealer civil liability. The final section contains appendices. Reference charts that indicate the types of provisions contained in the CSA are provided. Also provided are citations to each State’s controlled substances forfeiture provisions, any State currency transaction reporting statutes to aid in the identification and investigation of money laundering activities, and statutes providing for taxation of illegal drugs. 3 tables, 4 appendices