Overdose in Australia: Findings from Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2025
You are warmly invited to join us for a special International Overdose Awareness Day 2025 event: the launch of Penington Institute’s latest edition of Australia’s Annual Overdose Report. This year, we are honoured to be joined by Dr Hester Wilson, Chair of the RACGP Addiction Special Interest Group, who will deliver a special address on […]
Live stream: The David Penington Oration 2025
Live stream link: https://www.youtube.com/live/SgIBG3HUmcg?si=eVRvV9VrROA7RHbI An unmissable event as His Honour Anthony Parsons shares powerful insights from four decades at the intersection of law and community. Penington Institute Chair Scott Wilson and the Board of Directors warmly invite you to attend the 2025 David Penington Oration which will be live streamed this August. In honour of the […]
The Australian: Policy leader says medicinal cannabis reform impossible without legislation
In an address to the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia Conference in Melbourne, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan argued that the challenges in Australia’s medicinal cannabis sector are being fuelled by the failure to regulate adult use of cannabis, The Australian reports. The unprecedented demand we’re seeing for medical cannabis in Australia right now is […]
ABC 7:30: The mock cannabis shop showing us what legalisation might look like
Penington Institute has unveiled a mock licensed cannabis outlet in Fitzroy to launch its Cannabis Control Plan, which lays out a roadmap for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis for adult personal use in Victoria. Speaking to ABC’s 7:30, Dr. Jake Dizard, Policy and Research Lead at Penington Institute, explained that the store is deliberately […]
The Weekly Times: Cannabis ‘economic lever waiting to be pulled’
Writing for The Weekly Times, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan makes the case for legalising and regulating cannabis – not just as a public health measure, but as a transformative economic opportunity for rural and regional Victoria. Read the Weekly Times op-ed New economic modelling commissioned by the Penington Institute reveals that a tightly controlled […]
Legal cannabis within reach: new plan urges government action
Penington Institute releases the Penington Cannabis Control Plan outlining a common-sense plan for cannabis law reform for Australian states and territories. Download research Australian governments have been presented with comprehensive blueprint for how to legalise and, most importantly, regulate cannabis for adult personal use, in a bid to reduce harm, combat crime and stop government […]
Herald Sun: Drug of choice – Sneak peek inside Fitzroy’s mock cannabis shop
Exclusive | The Herald Sun spoke to Penington Institute CEO John Ryan at a mock licensed cannabis outlet set up on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy this week. Read the article here >> The mock shop has been set up for the launch of the Penington Cannabis Control Plan – a clear plan for the legalisation […]
ABC Radio Melbourne: Legalising cannabis will bring $10 billion to Victoria
In an interview on ABC Radio on 11 July 2025, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan outlined findings from recent research, showing that legalising cannabis could contribute $10 billion to Victoria’s economy over the next decade and create around 17,000 full-time jobs. We’ve got to acknowledge that cannabis is already a huge industry – but it’s […]
9News: 57% of Victorians support regulated cannabis
New Penington Institute research shows an increasing number of Victorians are ready to move past outdated cannabis laws and adopt a safer, regulated approach. In an interview with 9News on 10th July 2025, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan shared key insights from a recent survey of 1,500 Victorians, revealing that 57% support legalising cannabis for […]
Cannabis regulation revealed as a $10 billion economic opportunity for Victoria — if we embrace it
Victoria risks missing a golden opportunity to generate billions in additional revenue, create tens of thousands of jobs, and reinvigorate rural and regional economies, if it doesn’t act to legalise and regulate cannabis. Download report New economic modelling by Sapere Research Group, commissioned by Penington Institute, reveals a regulated adult-use cannabis market would inject $10 […]