This report compares current trends in national and Maryland drug abuse rates; reviews social and psychological factors associated with drug abuse; describes the physiological effects of frequently abused substances; reviews the State's drug and alcohol enforcement programs targeted to adolescents; and outlines Maryland's prevention and treatment programs. Highlights of the report include: (1) Maryland's trends in the use of alcohol and drugs in the adolescent population are not always similar to national trends; (2) Maryland adolescent abusers tend to be poly-abusers, combining use of drugs with alcohol; (3) children, adolescents, and young adults contribute disproportionately to arrest statistics in the areas of drug law violations and driving while intoxicated; (4) substance abuse can be defined legalistically or clinically; (5) several social environmental, interpersonal, and behavioral facts are statistically linked to whether an individual will become an experimental user or chronic substance abuser; (6) treatment needs of adolescents differ from those of adults, primarily because adolescents are less likely to be physically dependent and psychiatric help is often employed; (7) numbers of school suspensions for use and possession of dangerous substances are low compared to suspensions for other reasons, but school officials believe that drugs probably contribute significantly to the number of suspensions for behavior and attendance problems; and (8) prevention programs are viewed as integral to anti-substance abuse strategies despite their generally poor track records and uncertainty over the effectiveness of new approaches. (ABL)