A House subcommittee hearing held in DeKalb, Illinois, received testimony on drug abuse problems among young people in small towns and rural areas. Personal experiences of drugs and their effects on young people were described in statements from the mother of a victim of drug-related violence, a former drug dealer, a former drug user and gang member, and a teenager who had never used drugs. Representatives of substance abuse prevention programs, law enforcement, and criminal justice agencies discussed federal, state, and community responsibilities regarding drug abuse prevention; the need to change societal norms related to drugs, alcohol, and violence; goals and activities of the DeKalb County Partnership for a Substance Abuse Free Environment; the increased potency of drugs in the past decade; efforts to deter the international drug trade; prevention strategies in DeKalb schools; health promotion strategies related to substance abuse prevention at colleges; drug use in rural DeKalb County and its relationship to crime; the need to disseminate successful prevention strategies; the effectiveness of community-wide cooperation; and the importance of parents acting as positive role models. A local citizen cited the many failures of the 40-year "war on drugs" and suggested some potential benefits of legalization. (SV)