The first contribution discusses the process by which the research agenda has been constructed at the Federal level since the early 1970's. It describes the key events, actors, and documents that have emerged and synthesizes the policymaking lessons learned from the effort. Focusing directly on the activities of opiate users, the subsequent articles report significant research on the crime rates of heroin addicts and on the mechanisms drug users employ to generate income for support of their habits. Topics include such alternatives as nonpredatory crime, legitimate employment, public support, contributions from family and friends, miscellaneous hustling, and barter. Women addicts are targeted in an essay that summarizes the literature and data and outlines directions for further research on the pertinence of drug-related phenomena to women. An article on violence examines the relationship between type of crime committed and type of drug used in a population of incarcerated drug users. Also presented is information on the relationship between drug taking and criminal behavior for two minority groups -- blacks and Mexican-Americans. From the perspective of economics, one essay argues that an explanation of the relationship between addiction and crime rests with three variables: cost of heroin, its addictive properties, and the earning potential of users. In evaluating U.S. treatment efforts, one contributor maintains that considerable experimentation and inconclusive results characterize the treatment efforts. A further critique of treatment evaluation methods identifies trends such as those shown in methadone maintenance, in overreliance on official statistics as indicators of criminal behavior, and in lack of theoretical accountability. A criticism of research approaches points out the limitation of using 'trapped samples' of treatment subjects or incarcerated offenders. The concluding essay offers a summary review of the drug-crime issue, highlighting a change in the attitudes of the 1800's that linked drug use and illness to the connection made today between addiction and criminality. Individual articles contain tabular data and references. For individual articles, see NCJ 79109-18.