OUR IMPACT
Annual Review 2025
Penington Institute’s Annual Review 2025 showcases a year of evidence-led action to minimise serious drug harms and support safer communities.
Impact snapshot of what we achieved in 2025:
- Published the landmark Penington Cannabis Control Plan, a blueprint for how Australian states and territories can legalise and regulate cannabis for adult personal use.
- Convened International Overdose Awareness Day 2025, uniting people and communities in 37 countries with over 1,000 events to raise awareness of this continuing health crisis.
- Equipped around 1,500 frontline workers with knowledge and skills through our training, webinars and professional development programs.
- Supported the expansion of Victoria’s Take-Home Naloxone Program, delivering essential COPE training to at least 450 frontline workers to then train everyday people to respond safely and effectively to opioid overdose.
- Hosted the 2025 David Penington Oration, bringing together health, justice and policy leaders to advance the effective regulation of cannabis for adult use.
- Secured widespread media coverage on key drug policy issues, with over 8,300 stories and articles featuring our work.
- Published authoritative research, including Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2025 and Cannabis in Australia 2025, capturing public attention on issues requiring urgent action.
- Established a demonstration licensed cannabis retail outlet to illustrate how cannabis could be safely and sensibly accessed under strictly regulated market conditions in Australia.
- Promoted evidence-backed drug policy recommendations through submissions, speaking engagements, original research publications, policy briefings, webinars and extensive stakeholder engagement.
Thank you – and help us do more
We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and organisations who made our work possible this year. In particular, we acknowledge the commitment of community members affected by drug use, frontline workers, volunteers and partner organisations who work alongside us to improve health outcomes and community safety through evidence-led approaches.
We also thank the partners and supporters who helped deliver another year of global impact through International Overdose Awareness Day.
If you believe, like we do, that communities and people should be free from serious drug harms, we invite you to support our work by donating to Penington Institute. Donate here >>