ACT 'beginning to see change' two years on from the introduction of drug decriminalisation laws

Tuesday marks two years since the ACT became the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise small amounts of illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, ice and MDMA.

The reforms to the territory's Drugs of Dependence Act were introduced as a harm reduction approach to drug use, treating it as a health issue instead of a criminal one.

It has meant that, over the past two years, people caught with "personal use" amounts of illicit drugs were fined or referred to drug counselling instead of facing criminal penalties .

'We must replace shame with care'

At the 30th annual ceremony remembering the lives lost to overdose in Canberra on Monday, Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA)'s Louise Hughes shared her lived experience.

She said 10 years ago, when her son's f