THIS PAPER ANALYZES THE DRUG PROBLEM FROM A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE. RECOGNIZING THAT CERTAIN DRUGS ARE SOMETIMES USED FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE (E.G., MARIHUANA FOR EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS AND AMPHETAMINES BY STUDENTS CRAMMING FOR AN EXAM), A SYSTEMATIC INQUIRY INTO THE USE OF DRUGS, BOTH LICIT AND ILLICIT, SHOULD CONSIDER TYPE OF DRUG, TYPE OF USER, AND SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT. A NUMBER OF MODELS FOR ANALYSIS OF THE DRUG PROBLEM ARE DESCRIBED. ONE OF THESE, AN ETHICO-JURIDICIAL MODEL, EMPHASIZES DANGEROUS DRUGS, EFFORTS AT CONTROL, COSTS, PENALTIES, AND GUIDELINES ON ALL-OUT EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS ON ADVERSE EFFECTS. A MEDICAL MODEL ONLY CONCERNS ITSELF WITH EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND WITH DRUG DEPENDENCE. THE PSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE DRUG USER AND USE, WITH ATTENTION TO QUANTITIES, FREQUENCY OF USE, METHOD OF INTAKE--WHETHER DRUGS ARE SMOKED, INGESTED, INHALED, OR INJECTED, AND DRUGS' INFLUENCE ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S ABILITY TO FUNCTION IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS, SUCH AS IN THE FAMILY, WITH FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES, IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE COLLECTIVITY. THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL ASSUMES THAT ALL TYPES OF UNDESIRABLE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR ARE CAUSED BY UNDESIRABLE ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. DRUG TREATMENT AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN FOUR LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES (COLOMBIA, MEXICO, PUERTO RICO, AND VENEZUELA) ARE DESCRIBED AS PROGRESSIVE AND WELL-COORDINATED. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A NOTE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE. GRAPHS OF THE DRUG USE MODELS DESCRIBED IN THE TEXT ARE APPENDED. --IN SPANISH.