Comedian Wil Anderson knows a thing or two about chronic pain.

The funnyman and television personality has battled osteoarthritis for years and is open about his daily use of medical marijuana to ease the condition’s crippling impact on his body.

And if that use was legalised in Australia, Anderson believes it would save lives.

“For me the only thing that truly treats it in a day-to-day way, that I can live my life and go on with it, has been medical marijuana,” he has said in the past.

While appearing as a guest on The Project tonight, Anderson said he hoped the medicinal use of marijuana is legalised in Australia soon.

“Three million people have chronic pain in this country and it’s a thing where they normally will diagnose you open opioids, and there’s this amazing opioid addiction as a result,” he said.

“In America, since they’ve (allowed) medicinal marijuana, in some states opioid deaths have gone down by one-third, so it is saving lives.”

Comedian Wil Anderson has spoken only on numerous occasions about his chronic pain and daily use of medical marijuana.Anderson has also spoken in the past about his experience with “pretty hardcore” prescription painkillers, saying he felt “massive, serious side effects”.

Research in late 2015 found the number of Australians receiving treatment for dependence on the painkillers codeine and oxycodone trebled in the nine years from 2002.

Legalising medical marijuana will save lives, Wil Anderson believes.

Anderson splits his time between here and the United States, maintaining a busy stand-up touring schedule. His osteoarthritis is so severe he’s sometimes unable to move.

However he’s been advised by doctors to delay surgery — a double hip replacement — until the technology and failure rates improve.

“There has not been one moment in seven years when I have been completely without pain,” he said.

Despite that, Anderson has no plans to slow down his frantic work habits.

“I love performing in front of people and seeing them there,” he told the Network Ten show.

“A lot of our broadcasting you do, it feels like broadcasting, you say something and people have to sit back and enjoy it.”

Wil Anderson on The Project talking about medical marijuana.