Mr. Giuliani emphasized that he would continue to vigorously promote drug-free programs in the city, adding that he still believes local clinics rely too heavily on methadone.

There has been some success in weaning addicts from crack through such drug-free programs as acupuncture and residential centers that seek to modify behavior.

Yet because the drug-free programs are residential, their capacity is hard to expand; neighborhoods object.

He set up a drug-free program for adolescents in jail on Rikers Island.

There are many workable approaches, though not as many as there are drugs of abuse - ambulatory drug-free programs, for example.

Red Ribbon Week: A week-long drug-free program, usually done in mid to late October.

He said residential drug-free programs were better than outpatient ones.

Of those who accepted referral, he said, 74 percent were sent to methadone maintenance programs, 10 percent to drug-free programs and 16 percent to detoxification programs.

The city has at least twice as many successful ex-addicts today who are former patients of drug-free programs as it has successful methadone patients.

"Ours is a drug-free program, though," Dr. Lans said.