The Alcohol and Drug Defense Program was created by the North Carolina General Assembly to assist local school systems in developing school-based drug abuse prevention and intervention programs. As a first step, a statewide survey was conducted to examine drug use and attitudes about use among secondary school students in the state's public schools. Data were gathered on use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and hashish, cocaine and crack, hallucinogens, stimulants, depressants, and inhalants. This report presents findings from the survey in the areas of: (1) lifetime prevalence of selected drugs by grade grouping and drug use in the last 30 days; (2) descriptions of the most used drugs (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana); (3) drug use by sex; (4) drug use by race; and (5) prevalence of drug use by urban and rural residence. Drug use in North Carolina is compared with drug use nationally as measured by the National Senior Survey. Also reported are student ratings of reasons not to use drugs and student information about drugs, including where students receive drug information, whom they would contact if they had a drinking or drug problem, and their first choice of school personnel they would talk to if they had a problem with alcohol or drugs. A summary of key findings is provided, plans for future surveys are discussed, and a map of North Carolina educational regions is given. Seventeen figures are included. (NB)