This study identified differences and similarities among the perceptions of adult and adolescent community members regarding drug use patterns and practices. A written questionnaire was administered to 5,128 adolescents from grades 7 through 12 in the rural inland northwest, and a similar questionnaire was administered to over 900 adults in the same communities. The questionnaires assessed reported alcohol, tobacco, and other drug usage; selected demographic information; perceptions of community drug use patterns; and knowledge about drugs. The arena for average first experimentation with alcohol moved from high school to sixth grade; for average first intoxication from 12th grade to 8th grade; for regular use from post-high school to 9th grade; and for experimentation/intoxication/regular use of other drugs from 12th grade to 9th grade, all in a single generation. In every case, the ease with which adults perceived that students could obtain the respective substance was much greater than that perceived by the students themselves. Student and adult perceptions of adult use of alcohol showed uniform levels of agreement; however, student and adult perceptions of adult use of marijuana, cocaine and pills did reveal significant differences. Significant differences between adult and student perceptions of student use of drugs were also found. Student and adult knowledge levels of alcohol and other drugs were not significantly different; however, adult knowledge of alcohol was superior to that of the students, and student knowledge of other drugs was superior to that of the adults. (LLL)