Penington Institute welcomes new chair and board members
Left to right: Scott Wilson (Chair), Gwen Boniface, Miriam Suss OAM GAICD. Penington Institute has announced a new chair of its Board of Directors and two new board members. Scott Wilson was unanimously elected as Chair. Mr Wilson is a longstanding member of the Penington Institute board and is also the CEO of […]
Overdose in the United States: Lessons from a shifting crisis
What’s driving the recent decline in US overdose deaths – and how can these insights inform more effective overdose responses? Watch our webinar to find out. Nearly 3 decades into the overdose crisis, provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates a significant and hopeful shift: a 27% decline in overdose […]
Ketamine in the mix: Understanding use, risk and responses
https://youtu.be/cKfA5Edkf7o What do frontline workers need to know about local and international ketamine trends? Catch up on this webinar for expert insights from Professor Robert Ralphs and practical strategies for preventing harm. Ketamine use is at an all-time high in Australia. Its ubiquitous use at festivals and other settings suggests it has become a drug […]
ABC Radio Melbourne: Broad community support for measures to regulate cannabis in Victoria
Victorians are ready for cannabis reform. Penington Institute CEO John Ryan talked to ABC Radio Melbourne to unpack our latest findings. Penington Institute’s recent survey of over 3,700 Victorians found strong community support for safe cannabis regulation – and broad agreement on what that could look like. CEO John Ryan told ABC Radio Melbourne: Most […]
The Australian: ‘Reform dopey drug driving laws’, say medicinal cannabis industry and policy experts
Penington Institute CEO talks to The Australian about the push to reform outdated driving laws for medicinal cannabis patients. Read the story in The Australian Policy experts are calling for Australian premiers to reform roadside drug testing laws to protect medicinal cannabis patients whose driving is not impaired. Since medicinal cannabis was legalised in 2016, […]
Herald Sun: Victorians back push for legal weed, Penington Institute research shows
In an article published in the Herald Sun, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan discusses the findings of our recent Victorian survey, which shows widespread support for safe cannabis regulation. Read the Herald Sun story More than 3,700 Victorians have completed Penington Institute’s survey of community views on cannabis policy reform. The results show widespread support […]
Victorians agree on the pathway to sensible cannabis regulation
Most Victorians agree on the broad parameters that should govern a new regulated cannabis market in Victoria – should politicians embrace law reform. More than 3,700 Victorians have completed a survey developed by Penington Institute and promoted online and at major Melbourne intersections. The final results reveal Victorians are in broad agreement about […]
Premiers urged to fix medicinal cannabis driving laws
State premiers are being urged to fix outdated road laws that effectively ban medicinal cannabis patients from driving even if they haven’t used cannabis for days. Thousands of medicinal cannabis patients across 6 states and territories could be allowed back behind the wheel if the proposal by drug policy nonprofit Penington Institute is […]
Response to Victoria cannabis decriminalisation report
A Victorian parliamentary committee has today published a report on the potential decriminalisation of cannabis in Victoria, drawing on the experience of the ACT. Commenting on the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis) Bill 2023 report, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan […]
Victorian medical cannabis drivers no longer face automatic ban from Saturday 1 March
Download media release Victorian motorists who have medical cannabis in their system but are not impaired by the drug will no longer face automatic driving bans from Saturday 1 March 2025. John Ryan, CEO of drug policy nonprofit Penington Institute, says the rule change means Victorian medical cannabis patients will no longer be “forced to […]