ABSTRACT
By its very definition, illicit drug use by young people would automatically constitute a crime; therefore, all illicit drug use is delinquency. Consequently, it would be impossible to be an illicit drug user without being a delinquent. Also, because it is illegal for youth to consume alcohol, health professionals, policymakers, and others often refer to any alcohol use by youngsters as “abuse.” Thus, the connection between drug use, abuse, and delinquency is not as clear as it would seem. People, particularly those with a vested interest in the drug/delinquency connection, frequently treat drug use, drug abuse, and delinquency as if they were separate behaviors. This approach obviously yields a high correlation among the three issues because of the fact that each is a potential version of the others (like measuring the same behavior three different ways and calling each measurement result a different behavior). As a result, drug use and delinquency appear to be highly correlated and many have assumed that there is a real causal connection: drugs cause delinquency. Evidence is needed to make this determination.
