The 1978 National Drug Abuse Conference held in Seattle marked the beginning of the second decade of these conferences and their predecessor National Methadone Conferences. They began as small conferences devoted to understanding the problems and promises in herent in methadone maintenance treatment of opiate-dependent pa tients. The first conference was held about a decade ago in New York City at the Rockefeller University. The attendees consisted of a small group of invited clinicians, administrators, and research workers. Over the years the conferences have increased in both breadth and depth of their coverage. On a national scale this conference alone considered the issues of alcoholism, opiate dependence, polydrug abuse, and all other forms of substance abuse. The thousands attending each of the conferences came from all walks of life within our field. Lawyers, physicians, and basic and applied research scientists met and interacted with counselors, administrators, government officials, ex-addicts, con trolled alcoholics, and others with serious interest in this field. Only at this conference was it possible to attend presentations con cerning the newest findings of a cellular, molecular, and chemical basis on one day and participate in discussions of problems of dis advantaged minorities, women, and clinicians on the next day. It was uniquely possible to meet with government officials and question them publicly, as well as in individual private conversations at this conference.