Lisa Wilkinson’s ex Project co-host responds to her call for medical marijuana users to drive 

TV presenter Mechel Laurie has done a dig at her former The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson to rally around Parliament’s new plan to ease restrictions on medical cannabis.

Wilkinson, 62, raised eyebrows on Sunday night’s show when she claimed it was ‘common sense’ for medical cannabis users in Australia to be allowed to drive.

Laurie, 49, who has been an outspoken critic of The Project since being fired by Ten in 2019, responded to Wilkinson’s claims by joking that the journalist has a vested interest in promoting cannabis.

“No doubt just invested in a cannabis farm,” Laurie wrote sarcastically, accompanying a screenshot of a Daily Mail Australia’s story reporting Wilkinson’s claims on Sunday night.

The podcaster completed her post with an eye-roll emoji and a laughing/crying emoji.

Laurie has since deleted her post.

Wilkinson’s comments came after Greens senator David Shoebridge announced the progressive party’s drive to legalize the drug in a controversial bill set to be released for public consultation later this year — before a vote in parliament sometime next year to to vote.

Some of the proposed legislation would allow medical cannabis users to legally get behind the wheel of a car – something which is already allowed in the state of Tasmania as long as drivers are not inconvenienced.

“This is certainly just common sense,” said the Channel Ten presenter, when speaking about the distinction between driving after using medicinal cannabis for pain and driving after recreational use.

“These are doctors talking to the police and – a check mark is put.

“Tasmania, as is so often the case, is correct.”

Following their federal election success in May, the Greens hope to put pressure on Anthony Albanese’s Labor government to pass the bill legalizing cannabis for personal use in Australia.

“More than 40 percent of Australians have smoked cannabis at some point and the law states that 40 percent of Australian criminals are just plain ridiculous,” said Greens Senator David Shoebridge. Nine news.

‘We want to legislate to legalize cannabis’ by the end of next year.’

He said Australians have been told to wait too long for cannabis law reform, adding that more harm is being done to the community by ‘police on drug’.

While states have consistently said no to legalizing cannabis, constitutional attorney Patrick Keyzer said: the federal government can set them aside.

“It’s happened in Canada and in many states in the US and the world hasn’t collapsed,” he said.

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

It is also legal for people to grow two plants per person and smoke them at home for personal use.

The coalition government under Scott Morrison did nothing to stop it.

Professor Keyzer said the federal government could have rejected that legislation at any time, but chose not to.

Jamaica, Mexico, Malta, Germany, Uruguay, South Africa, the Netherlands, Portugal and several states in the US are just some of the places where personal cannabis use has become legal.

In Australia, 260,000 medical cannabis scripts have been completed in just six years.

About half of all prescriptions issued have been issued in Queensland, where patients are currently being investigated for exemption from drug driving.

AFL legend Barry Hall told the Sunday Project that he has used non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis oil that contains no THC to help him sleep after his grueling sports career.

“I’ve tried the CBD oil because I get a lot of pain and a little bit of trouble sleeping, that’s a long time ago now, but I put a few drops under my tongue and slept like a baby,” the former Sydney Swans star said. “It really worked for me.”

“But I got the oil from Nimbin and I think maybe it had a touch of THC in it,” Hall joked.

‘Because before I went to bed I had four boxes of Cheezels and a block of chocolate.’

A federal government spokesman said it will not legalize cannabis, but the Greens say they will introduce the legislation anyway.

One of those who could benefit from a change in the law is Scott Ford, who uses medical cannabis for injuries sustained in the RAAF for nearly 20 years.

The former sergeant served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the missions leaving physical and emotional scars.

He lives with chronic pain from a fall in training and also suffers from a variety of other injuries.

“I got to the point where the pain specialist said, ‘You can’t keep taking opioids. So you have to look at other options’.’

The option his doctor suggested was medical cannabis. Mr Ford is one of 70,000 legal cannabis patients in Australia, many of whom are veterans.

Under current law, Mr Ford is at risk of losing his driver’s license every time he gets behind the wheel – although the medication will not affect his ability to drive a car.

For Mr. Ford, legislative change cannot come soon enough.