The aim of this study is to review the most recent data on the use of both legal and illegal drugs and to explore gender differences in this regard by assessing the extent to which these differences are influenced by cultural, economic, and social factors. Differences in behavior between men and women are less pronounced in affluent communities than in working-class communities, suggesting that while prevention efforts stand to benefit from taking gender into account, they cannot afford to overlook the importance of the social contexts in which drug use occurs. The data presented are drawn from the INPES 2005 Health Barometer survey.