Pharmacogenetics, the study of genetic factors underlying individual differences in response to drugs, has proven useful for demonstrating that there are large genetic differences in response to a number of abused drugs. Pharmacogenetics also provides a number of useful tools for studying mechanisms underlying the effects of drugs. This review discusses pharmacogenetic techniques with potential utility for drug abuse research and provides examples of their use in studies of the effects of acute and chronic nicotine, cocaine and opiate administration. The importance of using genetically standardized animal models in behavioral and pharmacological research is also discussed.