From a psychoanalytical point of view, juvenile delinquency is understood as a disturbance in early childhood development which shows significant parallels to drug-related syndromes. The family backgrounds of juvenile delinquents and drug abusers are similar; both types of juveniles tend to come from either a very strict or extremely lenient upbringing. The types of juveniles identified as especially prone to juvenile delinquency and also particularly prone to drug abuse include 'normal' juveniles yielding to peer pressure, insecure or irritable juveniles who are unable to fulfil their daily tasks, neurotic juveniles, and juveniles having experienced traumatic events. In many cases, the drug problem leads to juvenile delinquency in that truancy, petty theft, or lying are necessary to cover up and support the drug abuse. In other cases, drugs reinforce a previously existing delinquency problem or are merely one symptom in a larger pattern of anti-social behavior. A final phase is the delinquency associated with drug addicts: the negation of all moral and social norms caused by a depraved personality. The article argues that recent West German drug legislation has not only been ineffective but has also rendered treatment and rehabiltation more difficult. To approach the growing West German drug problems from a therapeutic point of view, additional drug rehabilitation centers are urgently needed. The article includes a bibliography with over 70 entries.