The Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Terrifying potency’: The overdose-inducing drug invading suburbia
As we launch Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan discusses the increasing threat of nitazenes in Australia with the Sydney Morning Herald. In this article, ‘Terrifying potency’: The overdose-inducing drug invading suburbia, The Sydney Morning Hearld crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz highlights the rising number of opioid overdose deaths in Australia, […]
Jen’s story: Losing a loved one to overdose
Jen Furby is a Melbourne-based teacher whose only daughter, Nicole, died of a mixed-toxicity drug overdose in 2022. Nicole was 25. By sharing her tragic loss, Jen hopes to start conversations and change community perceptions about drug overdose. This is her story. I didn’t know how to start this story, as I feel like there […]
Legalising Cannabis in Victoria Could Deliver Billions in Benefits, new Penington Institute report shows
The data and trends revealed in Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024, released today by Penington Institute, shows the urgent need for a National Overdose Prevention Strategy. Download report Overdose is an escalating national crisis, with approximately six Australians losing their lives to overdose every day. The annual number of overdose deaths in Australia has almost […]
Overdose in Australia: Findings from Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024
Join our webinar for expert insights on the latest data on overdose in Australia, as we launch Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024. Penington Institute is pleased to invite you to our special webinar, offering an opportunity to engage with thought leaders and experts on overdose prevention in Australia. This year, we are honoured to be […]
Nitazenes: An expert panel discussion
Drawing on fresh lessons from overseas, Penington Institute presents this important webinar featuring an expert panel discussing strategies and responses to help prevent nitazene-related harms in Australia. There is global concern about the rising rates of harm due to nitazenes – a class of potent synthetic opioids that can be 50-500 times stronger than heroin […]
The Age: Criminalising cannabis: How Australia’s war on weed hurts the poor
Penington Institute’s new research on the impact of Australia’s criminalisation of cannabis features in The Age – revealing that people with highest unemployment, least education and lowest income are targeted most for criminal charges. In this feature article, Criminalising cannabis: How Australia’s war on weed hurts the poor, investigative reporter Clay Lucas highlights our data […]
New paper encourages rethink on failed cannabis policy, calls for reform to reduce community harms
Download paper “Australia’s current policy approach to cannabis is a three-fold disaster.” That is the damning conclusion reached in Penington Institute’s latest discussion paper Cannabis Regulation in Australia: Putting community safety first, published on 24 July 2024. The paper examines the implications of government policy towards Australia’s illicit cannabis market, which is estimated at over $5 billion […]
Cocaine adulterated with protonitazene
On Monday July 1 Penington Institute issued an alert to our national and state harm reduction network warning that there have been recent overdoses due to protonitazene toxicity in the Melbourne area drug supply. On Tuesday morning Victoria’s Department of Health also issued a warning that a white powder being sold in Melbourne as cocaine […]
Herald Sun: Time to turn a new leaf on cannabis
Cannabis policy reform is long overdue, says John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute. Here, he explains why decriminalisation and a regulated cannabis market is the best way forward for Australia. This piece was originally published in the Herald Sun on Saturday 22 June, 2024 (download pdf). By John Ryan It doesn’t make many headlines but […]
Pill testing trial will reduce overdoses and save lives
Penington Institute welcomes the announcement by the State Government that it will trial drug checking in Victoria. Penington Institute CEO John Ryan agreed with Premier Jacinta Allan that drug checking is “a simple and commonsense way to save lives”. “We applaud the government for acting on the evidence. This is an appropriate harm minimisation approach,’’ […]