PROFESSIONAL THEFT, WHICH DATES FROM THE 19TH CENTURY IN THE UNITED STATES, HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A SPECIALIZED NONVIOLENT CRIME. FOR THE PROFESSIONAL THIEF, CRIME IS A MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD. THE PROFESSIONAL THIEF IS USUALLY ABLE TO AVOID PROLONGED INCARCERATION. TYPICAL FORMS OF PROFESSIONAL THEFT INCLUDE PICKPOCKETING, SHOPLIFTING, SAFE AND HOUSE BURGLARY, FORGERY AND COUNTERFEITING, SNEAK THEFT, AND CONFIDENCE SWINDLING. THE LITERATURE HAS DOCUMENTED PROFESSIONAL THIEVES' USE OF OPIUM, COCAINE, AND HEROIN, USUALLY TO RELIEVE TENSIONS. ADDICTION TO NARCOTIC DRUGS HAS BEEN RARE AMONG PROFESSIONAL THIEVES. BECAUSE DRUG TRAFFICKING IS COMMON IN THIS GROUP, AND BECAUSE THOSE WITH WHOM THE EARLY FEDERAL BUREAU OF NARCOTICS HAD FREQUENT CONTACT WERE BOTH TRAFFICKERS AND ADDICTS, THE BUREAU INCORRECTLY EMPHASIZED A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL THEFT AND NARCOTICS ADDICTION. MORE RECENT DATA INDICATES THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY RELATIVELY FEW PROFESSIONAL THIEVES, INCLUDING ONLY A FEW HUNDRED PICKPOCKETS IN THE UNITED STATES. INTERVIEWS WITH 10 ACTIVE DRUG-TAKING PICKPOCKETS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA, USING A STRUCTURED INSTRUMENT, INDICATED THAT THEIR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY BEGAN BEFORE THEIR DRUG USE. MEAN AGE WAS 53; AGE RANGE WAS 47 TO 66. PRIMARY DRUGS USED WERE COCAINE, BARBITURATES, AND OPIATES. FOUR THIEVES WERE ADDICTED; ONLY ONE WAS A MULTIPLE DRUG USER. IN THE ADDICTED THIEVES, THE DRUGS WERE TAKEN TO PROVIDE THE COURAGE TO STEAL. IN NO CASE WAS THEFT UNDERTAKEN TO SUPPORT THE DRUG HABIT. RESULTS INDICATED THAT PROFESSIONAL THIEVES' DRUG USAGE WAS INCIDENTAL TO THEIR CRIMINAL LIFESTYLE AND THEIR DRUG-TAKING PATTERNS WERE UNLIKE THE STEREOTYPED POLYDRUG-USING ADDICT. FURTHER RESEARCH TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER TYPES OF DRUG USE ON THEFT IS RECOMMENDED. TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)