Short term drug rehab service for ACT

An Assembly committee has recommended the ACT establish a short term drug rehabilitation service.

The committee has completed an inquiry into the use of crystal methamphetamine or 'ice' in Canberra.

Chairwoman Karin MacDonald says although the use of ice itself was not significant in the ACT, the inquiry did find that multiple drug use was a problem.

She says many of the existing rehabilitation services require a commitment of 12 to 18 months, and the committee felt it was worth trialling a program that would run for a few months as an alternative.

"While it's a great program that's on offer, it's not necessarily suitable to all people especially younger people," she said.

"The committee considered that younger people might benefit from having a shorter term program that could actually have a, therefore a quicker turnaround time and you might be able to get more people through."

Ms MacDonald says there is a link between drug use and mental illness and the two sectors need to better coordinate their services for people with a dual diagnosis.

"But people who were working in the services sector that deals with people with drug users, that they need to get some sort of training in terms of mental health first aid," she said.