The notion that alcohol consumption leads towards delinquent activity is supported, and therefore should be identified as a source that produces juvenile delinquency. Society needs to reevaluate and restructure the amount of alcohol consumption amongst juveniles. This would prove more effective if it is design with the focus of prevention shifting towards diminishing violence and crime, and not the idea that adolescents should be restricted from alcohol consumption for not being old enough or mature enough to handle drinking. .
Drug use (not including alcohol) amongst juveniles is another form of substance use that research on adolescents has shown to be linked towards delinquency. Winters (1998) stated that the data collected by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) showed about fifty percent of the juveniles arrested reporting recent drug use prior to their arrest. Wagner (1996) adds that the "general population studies showed a 2 to 4 fold increase in the likelihood of committing violent acts among adolescents who are drug involved" .
(Barnes, Hoffman, & Welte, 2002, p. 2). In addition the impact of drug use by juveniles has been concluded to decrease maturity among juveniles, which would make them unfit for the work force, and lead or keep them in a path towards delinquency (Welte, Wieczorek, & Zhang, 2001). Drug use by adolescents having shown to be link towards delinquency suggest that drug use among juveniles need to be taken more serious. Drug use has been labeled as a victimless crime, but by adolescents engaging in delinquent activity as a result of drug use suggests that it is no longer a victimless crime. Drug use in adolescents is also important because the start of drug use amongst adult is said to begin at a young age (Huizinga, Menard, & Mihalic (2001). The idea that targeting juveniles is a key to diminishing violence and crime can be seen here, because reducing drug use by adolescents might also help reduce drug use by adults whom take part in most of the violence and crime in the United States.