GIVEN OUR NEARLY UNIVERSAL FALURE TO DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH THE ADDICTION ENIGMA, CALLING FOR A MAJOR REASSESSMENT OF OUR NATIONAL STRATEGIES, AS WELL AS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVES FOR DEFINING AND DEALING WITH THE DRUG DILEMMA, IS APPROPRIATE. CRIMINALIZATION PROCEDURES HAVE HAD MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS IN WHICH TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR EFFICACY, AND THEY HAVE CONSPICUOUSLY FAILED TO DO SO. IN VIEW OF THIS RECORD, AN ADEQUATE SOLUTION WOULD SEEM TO REQUIRE DECRIMINALIZATION OF DRUG-USING BEHAVIOR. ON THE OTHER HAND, CALLING FOR DECRIMINALIZATION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PROMOTING THE WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF CIVIL COMMITMENT PROCEDURES, IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THIS STUDY, FOR THE LATTER MAY BE VIEWED AS AT LEAST AS PROBLEMATIC AS THE FORMER. THE OBSERVATIONS OF THIS STUDY LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT DRUG USE IN THE EAST LOS ANGELES BARRIO IS PRIMARILY ORIENTED TOWARD THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE DURING A PERIOD THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIMARY ADDICTION PHASE, ALTHOUGH OTHER FACTORS MAY IMPACT ON THE INDIVIDUAL TO PROMOTE SUCH DRUG USE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT) ...BDS