Under Amendment Law 2019, which takes effect on 31 January 2020, adults are allowed to grow a maximum of two cannabis plants and possess up to 50 grams of cannabis per person. A law passed this week, expected to take effect on 31 January 2020, would explicitly allow adults to grow two cannabis plants for themselves. 

In addition, the new law would allow adults to possess up to 50 grams of marijuana for themselves or another person. Marijuana is Australia’s most popular illegal drug, and although it is still illegal at the federal level, states, territories and nations treat it differently.

The law amends existing ACT criminal offences so they no longer include possession or cultivation of small amounts of cannabis. Under current ACT law, possession of 50 grams or more could be fined at $8,000 and up to two years in jail, and would land you with a possible AU $160 fine.

Despite the law change in the ACT, the federal law will continue to criminalise cannabis in the nation’s capital. The ACT is now the only state in Australia with legalised cannabis for recreational use, but regulations can vary from state to state. Laws to legalise medical marijuana across Australia have been in place for several years, and despite changes to ACT law it is still not legal. 

The global legal cannabis market is expected to double in the next five years and reach a value of about 146.4 billion dollars by 2025. 

The Jamaican King Bong (Photo courtesy www.cloudychoices.com.au)

Sales growth is largely driven by the increasing use of cannabis – based medicines such as cannabis oil and cannabis extracts. Australia appears poised to follow the trend of increasing legalisation in countries that have legalised marijuana when medical marijuana becomes legal in Australia in 2016. The cannabis industry is currently gaining traction in an increasing number of countries around the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Marijuana has been illegal in Australia since 1928 and has remained largely the same since, with the exception of a small number of offences where offenders face fines and penalties for possession. There are no legal restrictions on the use of cannabis oil or cannabis extracts for medicinal purposes, and there is no prohibition on their use for recreational purposes. 

With the passing of the Cannabis Regulation and the Cannabis Act 1996 (ACT) Canberra became the first city in Australia to legalise cannabis for personal use. The use and distribution of cannabis is prohibited under the Australian Criminal Code and the Australian Criminal Law Act 1998 (ACLA). 

Canberra under-18’s will be allowed to possess 50g of cannabis and grow up to two plants, but households will only be allowed to have four plants in total and hydrogen cultivation will remain illegal, ABC reports. Australians are now able to possess up to fifty grams of cannabis and grow between two and two-and-a-half plants.

The new law, which was passed in the Australian Capital Territory in September, now comes into force in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

Australia’s capital is the first part of the country to legalise cannabis for both personal and recreational use. Under the new law, which came into force on 31 January, adults in Canberra can take up to one gram of dried cannabis and grow two cannabis plants. The Australian capital territory allows people to possess fifty grams of cannabis and grow up to two plants at home for personal use and medicinal purposes.

On Wednesday, the Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly voted to legalise possession of the drug for personal use for the first time in the country’s history, according to The Canberra Times.

The opposition voted against the law, arguing that the change would encourage more people to use marijuana and lead to more drug use – induced psychosis.

In the 1920s and early 1930s cannabis was a legalised drug, but it was dangerous, so much so that the US government came up with the idea of banning the drug as a reason for doing so. Today, cannabis is one of the most illegal drugs used around the world, both illegal and legal. It is now legal in certain parts of Canada, where there is a “cannabis park” where people can smoke and relax with friends, and it has reduced the amount of cannabis smuggled in from other countries and states.

If legalised in Australia, will it stop people from smoking it illegally or being paranoid? Despite the fears, the sale of Australia cannabis smoking devices, and the hunt for the best Australian bongs, still remain a popular past-time for Australian  recreational users.

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With Associate Professor Anthony Harris and Dr. Juliette Drobny, The University of Sydney will host two full-day workshops on anxiety and depression management at Novotel Newcastle Beach on 1 & 2 April 2017.

The workshops are specifically designed for health professionals in primary care to improve skills in psychological and pharmacological treatments for patients with anxiety disorders and depression.

Anxiety disorders and depression are the most prevalent of all mental disorders.

The disability associated with anxiety disorders and depression is comparable to chronic physical illnesses and their presence worsens the prognosis for other mental and physical conditions.

Effective psychological and pharmacological treatments are available, yet recent research indicates anxiety disorders and depression remain under-recognised in primary care and the majority of sufferers do not receive adequate treatment.

Come to either or both workshops, learn and socialise!

With the interactive, hands-on and intensive training, you will take home with the latest evidence-based psychological and pharmacological strategies that you can apply to your clinical practice straight away.

DATE & TIME – 1 & 2 April 2017 9am – 5pm
VENUE – Novotel Newcastle Beach, 5 King Street, Newcastle, NSW 2300
COST – $462 per day, including GST, full-day catering, course manual and certificate.

Find more information at cce.sydney.edu.au/course/adgp for the Anxiety Day
and at cce.sydney.edu.au/course/mdgp for the Depression Day.

The post University of Sydney to Host Workshops on Anxiety & Depression in Newcastle NSW appeared first on OzMedia.

Here are a few tips to help get your press release or media release noticed.

Press Release Tip 1. Get Your P.R. Strategy Together

News desks, editors and journalists are always pushed for time and up to their necks in potential stories. When your release arrives, it’s important that its eye-catching and communicates the importance of your story quickly and efficiently. This means creating a good headline and giving the most important information in the first paragraph. i.e. Who, What, When, Why, How?

Above everything else, make sure that your story is “newsworthy” as possible. There’s nothing that aggravates the press more than blatant plugs of people trying to sell their products. Especially using the media to do it by providing no valuable content. It’s a waste of their time, plus the toner in their fax machine to boot.

You have to be aware of the needs of the people in newsrooms and by really understanding the job people have to do, will give you an immediate head start over the competition.

Of course, everyone wants publicity and the relationship between commercial organisations and the media has always been mutually beneficial, but you should work to produce something that is interesting to read about. This will take more thought than simply talking about “how great your company is”.

Let’s look a fictional case study:

You have launched a new website for expectant mothers, added a discussion forum and an on-line shop to purchase baby goods. Your website has been moderately successful, but you want to send a press release to get some hardcore exposure for your site and its services.

So what to do?

The temptation is to title your release “Great New Aussie Site Launched for Pregnant Mums – Sign Up Now!”

Well that’s one way to kill your story and have it assigned to the garbage immediately.

Instead, think about why you started your website or created your product. If it was because you had a lonely pregnancy, use that as a foundation. It comes from your experiences and emotions and is therefore a subject matter that you know intimately.

Example Titles

One example would be to change your title to “Australian Mothers Frustrated By Constant Lack of Contact” or “Aussie Mums More Alone During Pregnancy than Ever” or even “Isolation Poses Growing Risk to Expectant Aussie Mums“.

In the release talk about the problems faced by women having their first baby, tackling and balancing work & family issues and WHY it’s different now than it used to be, I.E. The long hours their partners work, rising doctors waiting lists and rocketing fuel prices frequently mean mums-to-be are spending more time at home than talking to other people.

Does that fact that rising prices forces more women out to work affect mothers to be? Are more grandmothers still working then ever before so are unable to provide support during pregnancy? How are food prices affecting decisions on whether or not to breastfeed? Does any of the foregoing cause depression?

Let your thoughts and feelings be a part of your message. (If you are unsure of where to start, brainstorm a few ideas over a couple of glasses of wine with some friends then write all the ideas down. This tactic has been known to work many times)

And then?

Once you get the issues raised and the story bedded down, THEN you can mention how you created your site as a forum where women could chat to other women about their experiences and concerns. Talk about how women are able to open up with their on-line persona’s and talk frankly about things they’d normally never discuss with their own partners, mothers or doctors. If you have any interesting anecdotes or stories – mention them. If you have something really unusual, this may very well be good for a story in its own right I.E. A mother on the forum got some life-saving advice from another mum.

Opinions Can be Valid. Put a bit of research into your story and see if there’s corroborating information out there from experts that you can quote. (very often it’s OK to quote people under the terms of “fair use” as long as you don’t plagiarise their work). Just make sure to remember to credit where you got the information from.

Try to find and communicate the story and the “angle”. Be sure of your facts. If your release is an opinion piece, be prepared to take questions from journalists, especially if the subject matter is highly interesting or controversial.

Press Release Tip 2. Format Your Press Release Correctly

If you don’t want to get your story binned before it has a chance to be read, make sure you put Media Release or Press Release (in large letters) at the very top, or down the left-hand side of the page. When sending e-mails, ensure that you have “Media Release” and your headline in the subject.

If your release is to go out immediately, say “For Immediate Release”. If your release is for a specific date and time, either ensure your release is sent through the OzMedia system using the embargo feature or states “Embargo Until” with your date & time at the top of the page

Start the first paragraph, with your city and date I.E. “ Sydney, NSW, 25th October 2016”

For further media enquiries, ensure that the correct contact name and phone number are at the foot of the page.

Press Release Tip 3. How To Turn Your Media Release Into a P.R. Campaign

One thing that’s worth considering, is breaking up your media release into smaller distributions. This can be especially effective when you are on a budget and your message can potentially talk to a range of audiences or subject matters.

Therefore, If you have a $200 budget for PR that would normally target, say, women’s editor’s, men’s editors and radio stations, consider breaking it up into several smaller releases and giving minor re-writes. Then distribute the release to 4 x $50 lists instead of one $200 release.

For Example – Your company produces special gifts and has several gift ideas and specials that are suited to Valentine’s Day. Send something like :

To Men’s Magazine Editors: “Don’t stuff up Valentine’s Day by buying her cop-out presents such as flowers and chocolates. How to make her feel special on Valentines Day by using your imagination and a little flair.”

To Women’s Magazine Editors: “Afraid your man is going to stuff up Valentine’s Day again by buying you fattening chocolates and flowers that will aggravate your hay fever? How to drop the hint of your perfect gift so that he thinks it’s his idea.”

To radio : Send out your release with interview opportunities such as “Jane Doe, founder of My Pizzazz Gifts.com.au, spills the juice on how to get through the Valentines Day minefield without stuffing it up. Jane is available by telephone between hh:mm and hh:mm on …and will be available to discuss a range of topics on… etc.”

You might also want to think about sending another release the week before or after your main release and offering publications a limited number of product samples for giveaways or competitions in their magazines. While not strictly news, you can get some nice editorial space that you would normally pay a lot of money for if you were going through the advertising guys.

Press Release Tip 4. Silence is Golden

If it’s important that your release contains details about your company’s products and/or services, consider minimising the non-essential and un-newsworthy items contained in the main body of the release and instead put the information in an “About Us” section at the bottom of the release. This way the editor or journalist appreciates that you have kept clutter to a minimum and are “aware” of the ground rules.

Press Release Tip 5. Presentation & Images

You should resist the urge to “Pretty Up” your release with fancy fonts or graphics. This could be considered a sign that you have no content of value. If you have graphic material available, this can make your release more “newsworthy” and eye-catching, but try to find a balance.

If you have graphic material available, this can make your press release more “newsworthy” and eye-catching, but try to find a balance.

Ensure that your release states that additional material is available and if possible, provide a web address where the images can be downloaded from, as this will save time for the media organisation should they decide to publish your story.

Where delivery is by e-mail you can include low-resolution versions of images to give some immediate visual impact. Attaching high-resolution images is not a good idea.

Press Release Tip 6. Bold is Better

You can play it safe with media, but from experience, the best coverage comes from the releases that have the biggest and boldest headlines. Don’t be afraid to be controversial. Don’t be afraid to say it how it is. Above all, don’t be afraid to really put yourself out on a limb. If you feel that you might be cutting a bit close-to-the-bone, that you want to take some legal advice, then you might be getting close to a terrific of a story

Press Release Tip 7. Timing Your Press Release

It’s definitely not an exact science, but generally, releases should be sent to a radio or TV stations at around 4 am if they are to make breakfast news. Sometimes if your story has a few different angles, or you want it to develop throughout the day, you can send one release first thing, and then another one a few hours later. This is used to great effect. Even sending the same release at 4am and then 9am ensures that someone on a different shift at the news desk (again, this is radio and TV) will see it before it gets deleted.

If you want to get an expert to talk about a product on radio or TV (radio is generally easier) then a great technique is to send out a release marked ‘interview opportunity’ a week before the expert is available. Always put a time frame (eg: 6am until 9am) otherwise your expert will be hanging around all day. Then on the “day” the interview(s) are to take place, send out another release saying that “so and so” is being interviewed about “such and such”.

One of the biggest P.R. companies in Sydney used this technique on a regular basis for a large pharmaceutical company to publicise various health issues. The subtext is, of course, the products are great, but advertising restrictions prevent them from doing that directly – that is where P.R. comes in.

Newspapers are a different beast as deadlines are usually around 6-7pm the night before unless the news is absolutely astounding, in which case material at late as 11pm might make it into the next day’s paper. For events, in general, it is almost just as important to send a release before as well as after the event, as long as you don’t leave it too long. That way the story has a chance to develop and you might get more copy written about your issue.

Press Release Tip 8. Topical Press Releases

Under the banner of newsworthiness, it’s also worth mentioning that using a current issue to make your issue/ organisation/ product relevant is always a good move. If a story is ‘hot’ then something attached to it will be ‘warm’ as a result. An example of this might be when anti-smoking legislation comes in banning smoking in all indoor venues, and there is a bit of media hype about it, Nicotine patch manufacturers might do a campaign mentioning how their product could be used to stave off the grumps.

Press Release Tip 9. Size is Important

The best size for a media release is to fit on a single sheet of A4 and not be cluttered. Some media releases can go to 2 pages, but should rarely be any bigger. Include any company or biographical information in an “About” section at the bottom of your release, but try and keep it clear and simple.

Press Release Tip 10. Media Release Frequency

As with any other marketing medium and P.R., it’s important to not expect the earth from a single press release. If you don’t get any bites from a story, it could be that the angle didn’t quite catch or that the day your release went out there were other stories or news items that eclipsed yours.

Media can also be very cumulative in its effect. That is to say, the more often your stories and ideas are seen the more chance you have of being published, because there is a must greater chance that you will be perceived to be a) more persistent, b) a source of regular material, and c) you know the media game well enough to have not given up after your 1st release.

That last point is probably the most important. Companies who work well with the media can literally become overnight sensations from a single TV interview, spate of radio spots or well-placed press publicity. The press can give you exposure that advertising money can’t buy. Just use your imagination and get a good story out there, regularly.

Disclaimer: Information provided on this page is for educational and discussion purposes only and should not be relied upon by any party. Use or reliance in any way shape or form of any information in this document is at your sole risk and discretion.

The post 10 Valuable Tips on How to Write a Press Release (Or Media Release) That Will Get Noticed appeared first on OzMedia.

With an abundance of Yoga Teacher Training Courses on the market choosing what course to study can become daunting. Aligning Health have developed a premium Yoga Training Course to reintroduce the traditional teachings of Yoga by applying the philosophies and practices of Ayurveda.

Their mission it to train yoga teachers skilled in designing classes to include not only the physical postures but also how to work with the energies in the environment and teach according to the needs of the individual in group classes. ‘Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one giving the students greater insight into their practice. Their course shows how to work with groups and still give individuals the attention they require to grow their practice. Some of our

According to the company, their course shows how to work with groups and still give individuals the attention they require to grow their practice. Some of our

“Some of our teacher use Ayurvedic body therapies like self-massage, life-style advice and cooking tips to help students make deeper connections”, says Sarah, course owner and Principal of 10589NAT Diploma of Ayurveda Yoga Teaching.

A unique component of the Yoga teaching course is the emphasis on nutrition. ‘My yoga students would often ask me about their diet. Evening classes make it challenging to work out when to eat. Our Yoga Teacher Training Course prepares potential yoga teachers with high levels of skill to make a dietary analysis for their yoga students,’ says Sarah.

Developing a style of Yoga training to meet national standards has not been an easy journey. The owners of Aligning Health Sarah and Zelko lived for two years in a caravan with their three young children on their 20-acre property on the outskirts on Bendigo waiting for their dream retreat and training centre to be built. Sarah recalls writing the course until the early hours of the morning in the makeshift bathroom while the family slept.

‘As a mum I understand the value of good nutrition. As a Yoga teacher I have furthered my practice by eating good food that supports my body and mind. The desire to see my family enjoy good food has been my motivation to keep going in the hard times’, says Sarah.

Aligning Health now have a course that is not only nationally accredited but is also recognized by the peak body of Yoga in Australia, Yoga Australia. Teachers in the course include local and high profile Yoga Teachers and Ayurveda Doctors around Australia. Students from all around Australia study the course and come to the newly develop Aligning Health Retreat Centre for practical training. This Australian initiative brings together two age-old sciences helping to re-establish balance with the physical whilst supporting the growth towards a more meaningful experience.

Aligning Health are course owners of the 10579NAT Diploma of Ayurveda Yoga Teaching delivered with RTO 30798. They also own the newly developed Aligning Health Retreat in Axedale.

For course prospectus contact Sarah at info@aligninghealth.com.au or visit www.aligninghealth.com.au for more information

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