Sunday 25 September 2022 02:50 PM Lisa Wilkinson demands cannabis laws change as government prepares to vote on ... trends now

Lisa Wilkinson has thrown her weight behind a radical new plan to ease restrictions around medical cannabis calling the reforms 'common sense'.

Her comments on the Sunday Project come after Greens senator David Shoebridge announced the progressive's party's push to legalise the drug in a controversial draft bill to be released for public consultation later this year - before hitting the floor of parliament for vote some time next year.

Part of the proposed legislation would allow medical cannabis users to legally get behind the wheel of a car - something already permitted in the state of Tasmania as long as drivers are not impaired.

'Surely this is just common sense,' the Channel Ten host said, when speaking about differentiating between driving after using medicinal cannabis for pain and driving after using it recreationally. 

'This is doctors talking to police and - a box being ticked.

'Tasmania as is so often the case, gets it right.' 

The Greens, on the back of their federal election success in May, are hoping to put pressure on Anthony Albanese's Labor government to pass the bill allowing cannabis to be legalised in Australia for personal use.

'More than 40 per cent of Australians at some point have smoked cannabis and having the law make that 40 per cent of Australians criminals is just plain ridiculous,' Greens senator David Shoebridge told Nine news. 

'We want to legislate to legalise cannabis by the end of next year.'

He said Australian's have been told to wait for cannabis law reform for too long, adding that more harm to the community is being inflicted by 'policing the drug'.

Though the states have consistently said no to legalising cannabis, constitutional lawyer Patrick Keyzer said the Federal Government can override them.

'It's happened in Canada and in many states in the US and the world hasn't caved in,' he said. 

For more than two years, the ACT has allowed adults to possess up to 50g of dried or 150g of fresh cannabis.