This publication is intended as an initial effort by the New York state education department to provide pragmatic and realistic suggestions for the development by schools of successful drug abuse prevention programs. The information provided covers: (1) the nature of the problem; (2) present school district policies and procedures; (3) program development, centering on helping students develop their own solutions through school and community facilities; (4) health education, which focuses on continuing programs of physical, mental and pharmacological health; (5) legal considerations such as inspection of lockers, search of person, and confidentiality when dealing with suspected student abusers; (6) recommended references, which includes a brief abstract; and (7) an appendix on emergency medical procedures. Recognized as vitally important to a successful program is student participation, student leadership, parental involvement, and total school-community cooperation. In complement, schools need to be continuously aware of the interrelationship of drug abuse with other social problems such as student alienation, depersonalization, and the feeling of helplessness derived from a perceived inability by students to affect the course of events around them. (Author/TA)