Research on drug abuse & addiction related to women has, until relatively recently, been sorely neglected, & most drug abuse interventions developed to date have largely been shaped by men's characteristics & needs. Begins with a history of drug abuse & women. Discusses the neurobiological correlates of addiction & shared findings from basic & applied treatment research, prevention, epidemiology, biological & behavioral mechanisms, treatment & etiology, & the consequences of drug abuse among women, as well as legal & other crosscutting issues.