To prevent the high-risk populations of learning disabled/behavior disordered (LD/BD) and educable mentally handicapped (EMH) students from developing substance abuse problems, these students must be educated with materials that are directed specifically at their social and mental levels. Project Oz, a social service agency in McLean County, Illinois, has developed substance abuse education curricula which focus on presenting factual information, teaching coping skills, and enhancing self-esteem for these populations. The curriculum for the EMH population is entitled "Me, Myself, and I!" and focuses on self-esteem through a videotape recording, teachers' manual, and learning activities. The curriculum targeting the LD/BD population is entitled "A Special Message" and provides lecture material, visual aids, learning activities, teachers' guides, and a parent component on drug use, stress management, decision making, peer pressure, self image, and risk taking. This paper includes a research-based rationale for the curriculum, citing incidence of substance abuse and outcomes of interventions. The paper also reports on the outcomes of 5 years of Project Oz's intensive effort to decrease drug use in a small rural school district. (20 references) (JDD)