CWA - OR CHICKS WITH ATTITUDE

The Country Women's Association came within one vote this week of
advocating that cannabis use be legalised for people with terminal illnesses.

The tied vote at the association's 81st annual state conference is being
put up as yet more evidence that the 12,000-strong NSW CWA - stereotyped as
a scone-obsessed bastion of grey-haired conservatism - is really a broad
church.

Item 22 on the agenda of the four-day conference at the Central Coast
Leagues Club was from the Toongabbie branch, urging that the CWA "requests
the federal and state ministers for health to consider legalising cannabis
for medical purposes for the relief of pain in the terminally ill".

Ruth Shanks, the CWA's Dubbo-based state president, said she allowed 20
members to speak on the motion because it was the most contentious and
passionately debated of the conference.

Those in favour told of loved ones with painful terminal illnesses who had
had their quality of life improved by smoking marijuana. Those against
argued there still wasn't enough scientific evidence to prove cannabis
offered effective pain relief, and spoke of their children who had used
marijuana and later developed mental illnesses.

Mrs Shanks, who opted not to use her casting vote, called the 312-312
stand-off "an amazing result . . . it just goes to show what a diverse
range of people and issues and concerns we have in the organisation".

Jenny Mitchell, the secretary of the Associated Country Women of the World,
urged delegates to become more accepting of young people and new ideas.
CWA, she suggested, should stand for Chicks With Attitude, not the Cranky
Women's Association. And if needs be, she said, they should ditch the
scones to attract new members to continue the CWA's important community and
lobbying work.