To ascertain the incidence of drug use in a rural area and to provide insight into the covariates of illegal drug use which might be useful in developing prevention programs, data were collected in the spring of 1981 from 2,060 or 83.2% of all students grades 8 through 12 in a southern Georgia county. Data were collected during regularly scheduled school hours in large group interviewing sessions. Respondents participated extensively in illegal drug use: approximately 76.7% indicated they had consumed alcohol at least once; 41.0% had tried marijuana at least once; 64.5% had tried cigarettes at least once; 16.0% had tried amphetamines at least once; and 12.2% had tried barbiturates at least once. Youngsters who were older, male, white, from stressful home environments, less religious, more active in dating, identified with the drug culture group, more frequently engaged in shoplifting, had sold drugs at some time, and from families where parents used drugs tended to be more frequent drug users. Since illegal drug use was quite extensive and primarily confined to alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes, perhaps programs designed to prevent or reduce drug abuse in the study county should be focused on these illegal drugs. (BRR)