Our impact in 2025
Read the 2025 Review
It’s time for legal and regulated cannabis for adult use in Australia
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Overdose is a public health crisis. Here's what we do to address it.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Our Vision

Freedom from serious drug harms.

Our Mission

To help people and institutions, regardless of their status or beliefs, to minimise serious harms from legal and illicit drugs.

Our Role

Penington Institute champions an open, rational, and compassionate approach to building and sharing knowledge to reduce drug-related harm.

Cannabis regulation

We push for an effective regulatory framework for cannabis defined by public health goals, with priority placed on targeted prevention, education, and treatment.

Overdose prevention

Penington Institute produces Australia’s Annual Overdose Report to demonstrate the nature of the overdose crisis and to support change to reduce drug-induced deaths.

Our Impact

Penington Institute CEO John Ryan standing against glass background.

Congratulations to our CEO, John Ryan, on his OAM

Penington CEO, John Ryan, Awarded OAM Today we’re celebrating a very special honour for our CEO, John Ryan, or, as the King’s Birthday Honours list has revealed – Daniel John Ryan – our resident international man of mystery! John has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

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Vale The Hon Rob Knowles AO 

Everyone at Penington Institute is deeply saddened by the passing of The Hon Rob Knowles AO, a valued board member, colleague and friend, whose contribution to our work, and to public life more broadly, was both significant and enduring.  Rob’s connection with Penington spanned decades. He spoke at our inaugural conference in the late 1990s when he was

Learn More
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan standing against glass background.

Congratulations to our CEO, John Ryan, on his OAM

Penington CEO, John Ryan, Awarded OAM Today we’re celebrating a very special honour for our CEO, John Ryan, or, as the King’s Birthday Honours list has revealed – Daniel John Ryan – our resident international man of mystery! John has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

Learn More

Vale The Hon Rob Knowles AO 

Everyone at Penington Institute is deeply saddened by the passing of The Hon Rob Knowles AO, a valued board member, colleague and friend, whose contribution to our work, and to public life more broadly, was both significant and enduring.  Rob’s connection with Penington spanned decades. He spoke at our inaugural conference in the late 1990s when he was

Learn More

International Overdose Awareness Day

Penington Institute convenes the world’s largest annual campaign to end the overdose crisis. International Overdose Awareness Day falls on August 31 each year.