ANNUAL REVIEW
Annual Review 2024
Our Annual Review 2024 tells the story of a year of impact, driving progress to make communities safer and healthier in relation to drugs.
Download now to learn more about what we achieved across three key focus areas: cannabis policy reform, overdose prevention, and improving knowledge about better approaches to drug use issues.
2024 marks a significant milestone for Penington Institute as we celebrate 10 years of championing evidence-based solutions to some of the most pressing issues related to drugs.
Over the past decade, we have built a reputation as a trusted and rigorous voice committed to public policy that improves community health and safety.
In 2024, our focus has been on driving progress in key areas, including advancing research and policy reform on cannabis, continuing to support frontline workforces, and taking action to reduce overdose deaths both in Australia and globally. These achievements reflect our unwavering commitment to operational excellence and sound governance, hallmarks of the Institute since its inception.
This year, we have deepened our work to foster change. From bringing attention to the risks and harms of drug use to facilitating spaces for reform, we have upheld our core belief that community health and individual dignity must remain central to every policy and program.
Significant momentum has also been achieved in our efforts to advance sensible cannabis policy reform, a vital step toward reducing harm and fostering safer communities and a shift that Professor Penington would have been proud to see.
Among other highlights of 2024 was the continuation of our pivotal International Overdose Awareness Day campaign, which amplifies the voices of those impacted by overdose and mobilises action worldwide. Our publications— including Australia’s Annual Overdose Report and Cannabis in Australia 2024— continue to provide policymakers and practitioners with the evidence, clarity, and confidence needed to advance reforms that respond to the evolving needs of people and communities.
Looking to the future, I know the next 10 years will see Penington Institute doubling down on its mission to tackle the most urgent challenges related to drugs, and unyielding effort to bring these issues to the attention of the public and policymakers alike. We will continue to promote evidence-based approaches and deliver practical, cost-effective solutions. And we will do this with the sensible, steady – yet on occasion, provocative – approach that Professor Penington instilled in our DNA.
I extend my sincere gratitude to our team, board, advisory committees, partners, and supporters who have made this milestone year possible. Together, we are making a real-world impact that is both meaningful and enduring.
Kathryn Greiner AO
Chair, Penington Institute Board
As we mark 10 years since Penington Institute was established, I’m struck by how far we’ve come — and how much more there is to achieve.
Using Kathryn’s words, this milestone year has seen our organisation continue to punch above our weight through well placed nudges and ambitious pushes, all with a small but fiercely dedicated team and a modest budget.
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to protecting the safety and dignity of individuals and communities.
We work in a policy environment that is often fraught with misunderstanding and constrained by inertia, yet we continue to make progress by being bold, evidence-led, and determined. We know our work matters.
This year alone, our work has delivered life-saving impact. From encouraging action to reduce overdose deaths, to advancing the public conversation on cannabis policy, to supporting frontline workers with the training and tools they need, we are helping to transform public policy and practice for the better.
In 2024, we witnessed some steps forward on drug policy across the nation. The Victorian, Queensland (temporarily), and New South Wales Governments committed to drug checking trials to support informed decisions about drug use, while the ACT’s service was given funding to continue saving lives and reducing harms into 2027. The Victorian Government also committed to a trial of hydromorphone as a treatment for opioid dependence, along with several other overdose reduction measures that are in line with longstanding Penington Institute recommendations. The health benefit from these decisions is plain to see – particularly given the increasingly complex and adulterated drug supply in Australia and around the world.
We can drive the bold reforms that are necessary to build safer, healthier communities. It happens through decades of experience and a team of highly professional and knowledgeable staff.
We know how this can be done – better education, knowledge sharing, connecting stakeholders, and designing policy that reflects rigorous evidence and hard- earned experience.
Every contribution matters as we continue this vital work for the next decade and beyond. To our incredible team, our partners, our volunteers, our donors and funders, and everyone who has supported us in 2024—thank you. Your commitment fuels us and keeps us moving forward.
We need, and will always need, your help to amplify our efforts—to expand our campaigns, deepen our research, and extend our reach.
I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary life and leadership of Cheryl Delalande, who passed in 2024. Before the term was coined, Cheryl was a social entrepreneur. Her legacy includes founding ANEX with colleagues, the predecessor organisation of Penington Institute. Cheryl’s commitment to the truth about drugs and how to reduce harm lives on and will continue to inspire Penington Institute.
John Ryan
CEO, Penington Institute
