Introduction Many Surveys and research provide information about the prevalence of substance use in the Victoria community. Examples of these sources include the national drug strategy household surveys, which report the use of cannabis and other illegal drugs (Livingston et al., 2020). Drug offenses are contained in the Drug act of 1981, which stipulates substances that individuals cannot possess under any situation and dependence on drugs (Susan & Georgina, 2018). The legislation provides various penalties for quantities of drugs involved while it is also an offense to engage in drug-related crimes in Victoria. This essay argues that strain theory can explain youth drug problems such as poor backgrounds; the paper focuses on evaluating the criminological model and supporting its limitations with retreatism and labeling models for in-depth insights. The Problem and Background Young people are persistently substance users and often experience an array of crime-related issues. The problem of drug use by youth is a significate issue in the Victoria community, as shall be discussed in this paragraph drawing support from media reports, statistics, and case studies. Getting into a conflict with illegal drugs under the age limit is why young people face legal conflicts in Victoria. Offenses involved include public intoxication, and purchasing or selling drugs which is against the law. Reports show that the proportion of young offenders with a high number of incidents has risen, and about 17% of victims are under 25 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019; Sallybanks, 2021). The cause and effects of young person offending and the state of Victoria’s youth justice system have become a subject of broad debate after a series of violent cases in justice centers. The nature of youth offenders and offending places pressure on society, especially in the justice system. Victoria has long been considered a leader in youth justice, with minimal cases of young people crimes or serving custodial sentences than Australian jurisdiction (Antolak-Saper, 2020). Evidence points that few youths have offending every year. However, a small but increasing cohort of young people engages in drug-related behaviors such as violence despite the positive developments (Antolak-Saper, 2020). Youth justice is deemed a complex issue that entails crucial areas of public policy, including the community safety and human rights of young individuals (Hettiarachchi et al., 2018). Typically, youth justice is different from mainstream or criminal justice due to exceptional circumstances and offending content. The cause and effect of youth offenses in Victoria have become a subject of debate widespread after a violent incident witnessed in the justice center. Although diversion is crucial in lowering re-offending by youths, access to diversion is limited somehow in the community, especially for young adults in rural regions of Victoria. The unprecedented number of youths in remand creates significant challenges in managing centers and making the rehabilitation process complicated for young ones. Studies by the Victorian Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Children and Young people have revealed concerns about youth justice systems and treatments of young persons held therein (Phelan, 2019). Invest