John Ryan

Speaker

John Ryan (BA/LLB) has advocated for evidence based improvements in policy and practice responses to drug use and related issues at Anex for the past 10 years, where he is currently the CEO. Anex is a non-government policy development and training organisation committed to the prevention of drug-related harm. He has been a member of policy committees on various issues including for the development of the National Amphetamine Type Substances Strategy and the Victorian HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C strategies. He was also a member of the Victorian Ministerial Advisory Committee on Blood Borne and Sexually Transmissible Infections. John chaired the inaugural Australasian Amphetamine Conference and the Mental Health and Illegal Drugs Conference. He is also the Chief Editor of the Anex Bulletin, an Australian harm reduction broadsheet and is currently leading an advocacy campaign for the introduction of needle and syringe programs in Australian prisons. John has previously worked in NSP frontline service delivery at the Victorian AIDS Council, research at La Trobe University's Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society and policy for the Victorian Governments Drug Policy Expert Committee.