Who is being diverted from court under the NSW Early Drug Diversion Initiative (EDDI?)

By Dominic Furneaux-Bate

In 2024, the NSW Government introduced the Early Drug Diversion Initiative (EDDI), a statewide scheme designed to divert people detected with small amounts of illicit drugs away from the criminal justice system and toward a health-based response. Under EDDI, eligible individuals can receive a $400 Criminal Infringement Notice instead of being charged and attending court. The fine is waived if the individual chooses to complete a voluntary telehealth intervention.

Key findings: 

• In the first 13 months of EDDI’s operation between 29 February 2024 and 31 March 2025, 11,751 people were proceeded against by NSW Police for use/possess offences involving drugs other than cannabis. Fewer than 10 per cent of these people were issued a Criminal Infringement Notice (CIN) and diverted from court.

• Low diversion rates are largely driven by eligibility criteria, with almost three‑quarters (72%) of people found to be ineligible. Most were excluded because they had another offence at the same time or were carrying more than the “small” quantity threshold.

• Among those who were eligible, only about one in five (22%) were diverted. The likelihood of receiving a CIN was highest among people with no prior contact with the criminal justice system, those detected with ecstasy or cocaine rather than methamphetamine, and people detected at music festivals.