This report discusses guidelines for developing drug prevention programs. It reflects knowledge acquired in developing and implementing Project ALERT, an adolescent drug prevention program currently being evaluated with more than 6,500 students in California and Oregon schools. The guidelines discussed are based on information about the effectiveness of different prevention models, the developmental capabilities of different age groups, the patterns of drug use over time, and factors that affect successful program delivery. The report begins by identifying the information approach and the general skills approach to drug prevention as two models that have not seemed to work well. An approach which holds more promise is the behaviorally-based social influence approach, which addresses the major influences promoting initiation into drug use: pressure from others to use drugs and the child's own belief that using drugs will yield positive social outcomes. The report considers when drug prevention education should be offered, what substances should be targeted by drug prevention programs, how interested students will be in drug education, and what assistance teachers will need in implementing drug prevention programs. Four pages of references are included. (NB)