If there is a universal proposition that is accepted by all parties to the debate on drugs, it is that children and youth should not have unregulated access to potentially harmful psychoactive substances. Even the most ardent libertarians assent to this. There is agreement not only on the direction of drug policy toward the young but also on the priority among all other goals of drug policy that should be accorded to the protection of children and youth. No commentator questions the high, if not dominant, status of child protection. This unanimity extends far beyond the speeches of politicians, being apparent as well in the most substantial works currently available dealing with the drug problem.

There are three reasons that child protection is an especially important aspect of drug control policy: the significance of children as a social resource, many children's lack of capacity for mature decision making, and the difficulty of reversing drug dependencies and habits acquired by children and youth.

Across all areas of public policy, child development is important because children represent the generation that will succeed contemporary adults. The young are also regarded as both immature and vulnerable. As we shall see in the next section, if the lack of capacity for decision making is used to justify paternalistic state drug policies, this absence also calls for a larger investment of resources. Because the young are judged incapable of mature and well-considered decision making, larger amounts of resources should be invested in treatment and prevention programs for this especially vulnerable group.