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Juvenile drug arrests are also .increasing, though not as rapidly as in pas~ years (Figure 2). Unfortunately, actual drug abuse among juveniles is apparently continuing to soar. County education specialist state that ¥~ithin the public school system~ of 521 schools with 450,000 students there is s high rate of involvement in drugs. They estimate that 50~ to bf all high school students have experimented with mariju~na~ with 90~ becoming users. Involvement in j~nior high school in between 7[~ to !4~ with 6[~ to 10~ using frequently. Usage · n elementary schools ~s esozma~ed at ~/a to 7~, .~mth ~/~ be- . . coming users, During the 1970-71 school year, 400 high school students were expelled for ~]~ug abuse offenses.. This figure is highly significant~ since only'.l/3 of th~ h~gh schools expel for these offenses and only 10[~ of the .school. age users ~re iSentified. It appears that arrests may have hit a "ceiling"~ or a 'maximum number of arrests possible using current law enforcement resources, w~ile ~ctual drug abuse continues to increase. The problem of drug abuse results ir~ many eases with victims suffering monetary loss. Drug abuse contributes to the cost spiral in three ways: (1) the human cost of people (e~pecially juveniles) victimized by drugs~ (2) dollar cost of arrests, trials, etc.; (3) burglaries and thefts by drmg abusers. Il-1 1970, Orange County was the only major county in the 'State where the felony 5rug arrest rate was higher 'than the non-drug arrest rate. The felony 5rug arrest rate was the highest of the major countles and far exceeded the State-wi~e rate, The rate of abuse wes 5~J7.3 per 100,000 populatJ, on~ or,3~. Although the percentage increase is not as great as in. previous yaar. s., ~]r~g arrests are still on the rise.' The Orange County Drug and Narcotic Task Force was fount]ed in November, 1970. The narcotic details' of 22 municipal po!i. ce departme~bs in.Orange County are members a'~ well as the She~iff's Department, and the State Bu'reau.df Narcotic Enforcement Department of Justice), Other members include the Orange County Harbor Patrol, Orange County Airport Security and the Orange Ccm~ty Probation Department.. Close liaison ls mainta~[ru~d by the Task ]?oreo Coordinator with all o[' Chase agencies as well as law enforcement agencies throughout the Southern Cali['ornia area. Through the elimination of dupli- ca'tion of effort and the pro~oting of C~ood w]l! among thc narcotic officers from each of these agencies~ the Task Fo.ree has made remark~b!e progress toward the ulti~,ate goal of moving the narco'[-~c trafficker from the commun]'ty. J[n January, ]..072, the Coordinator of the. Tas!~ Force init:tn ted a recorc] Xaep~ng r~ysl;,em _i[.atcd. zing ih~: results of the Ta~;k Foreo :invest:i.gatJours. Tho oml)h~J:; by 'J?~al~ ]?orca ::~amb:l, rs was op destroyinf~ o~-~;m:~zed g'coup~: (ton~:piri~:{?, to v:]o]~te 'thc s n:,reob:~c :L~wr~. Whil. e worhir~L; on Ta~l,c Force their o~.;n jurJsdJ¢:L~on:: regarclj~k~ ],c)c:~]l narcob.;r: t~rob].et,:a.