Several embassies have said that the proposal violates World Trade Organization agreements. The United States, Britain and the European Union feel that the move to promote the use of generic drugs and limit the use of branded drugs could violate agreements on free trade. There are at least 60,000 street children in Metro Manila, many of whom are at high risk of developing substance abuse problems. Worldwide, there are about 10 to 30 million street children. In order to survive, many street children support themselves by working, begging, stealing, selling sex and by dealing in illicit substances.
Most street children have no access to health care and community services.
As a result, continued substance use among street children usually has serious health and social consequences. Children as young as five years old start to use different substances. Undergoing the stage of experimentation, exploration, curiosity and search of identity, adolescents become involved in risk-taking behavior such as the use of alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, inhalants, illicit drugs and other psychoactive substances that affect their health. These behaviors are associated with poverty, family disintegration, relocation and discrimination - situations which most street children are exposed to. Consequences of substance use by street children include acute chronic health and emotional problems, disruption of interpersonal relationships, school failure, social marginalization and criminal behavior.