Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has announced the establishment of a new service for families who have relatives affected by drug use.
There will be a 12-month pilot of the program, which will include face-to-face, online education and support for families.
The government has provided $220,000 for the program.
The service will be administered by Family Drug Support, an organisation which supports families of people who use substances.
The chief executive of the organisation Tony Trimingham said Family Drug Support receives about 400 calls a year from the ACT to its national support line.
"This announcement is so welcome and will enable us to establish a team in the ACT to deliver our services directly to families affected by alcohol and other drugs," he said.
"We will be able to reach more with this funding."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the government had received feedback that a dedicated service was needed to provide support to families of people affected by drugs.
"The use of alcohol and other drugs not only impacts an individual but their family, friends and carers," she said.
"We heard from the community that a dedicated service was needed to provide more support to those who are impacted by a loved one's drug usage."
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