The Healthy People 2010 guidelines identify substance abuse as a major public health problem in need of effective interventions for diverse populations including racial and ethnic minorities. However, the literature with regard to substance abuse in the African American community is rather scant. This article discusses the need for a research examining the substance abuse of African American youth. This article discusses how it is advisable to design future research studies exploring substance abuse in the African American population keeping in mind the vital role of cultural factors on the same.