The ACT government has pledged to strengthen efforts to divert drug users away from the justice system, after a report identified a series of failings in its current approach.
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The government released the report on Wednesday, more than a year and half after it was completed in February last year.
Drug and alcohol diversion programs aims to prevent reoffending, reduce drug use, and lessen the burden and cost on the territory's criminal justice system.
The ACT's five diversionary programs include a scheme allowing police to issue fines for simple cannabis offences, a police-led early intervention drug program, a youth alcohol early intervention program, the court's alcohol and drug assessment scheme, and the youth drug and alcohol court.
The report looked at whether they worked together effectively in the ACT, and found they worked well overall, noting the territory was leading the nation.
But it also identified a series of challenges facing the system as a whole and the various individual programs.
It found increasing resources were being diverted away for use in programs like school education and community education, which did not fit with the ACT's goals of diverting drug and alcohol users away from the criminal justice system.
It said there was improper sharing of information between the range of bodies involved in drug and alcohol diversion, and that there was a lack of proper data collection and management.
The report found police had a "low level" of support for the simple cannabis infringement system, and there was a low level of compliance with the scheme.
It also found there were a low number of referrals to the police-led drug intervention program for Canberrans caught possessing substances other than cannabis.
The youth alcohol program was found to be highly expensive, and was placing too great an emphasis on school and community education, rather than referrals.
The authors recommended the creation of a comprehensive ACT diversion strategy, the appointment of a facilitator to oversee the entire diversion system, a refocussing of all programs on drug diversion, and a stronger capacity to collect and analyse data.
They recommended the simple cannabis offence notice system be reformed to bring it into line with the ACT's other infringement schemes, the creation of a less resource intensive alcohol diversion program, and a relaunch of the court's drug and alcohol assessment scheme.
It also recommended more people be referred to the police's drug early diversion system by making those with higher quantities of drugs eligible.
Attorney-General Simon Corbell released the report on Wednesday, committing to an "implementation plan" to respond to the recommendations.
"The government has used the findings and recommendations in the report to prepare an implementation plan that will guide policy and legislative responses to diversion programs in the territory in the future," Mr Corbell said.
"The programs also have the potential to decrease criminal justice system costs and promote the effective rehabilitation of offenders."
