A new study involving more than 66,000 adults in the United States has found that people who drink heavily and also use cannabis may be less likely to develop liver disease than those who drink heavily but don’t use cannabis.
While the researchers are not recommending that anyone start using cannabis, their results suggest that certain parts of the cannabis plant—especially a compound called CBD—might help protect the liver.
The research was led by Dr. Juan Pablo Arab from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond.
He is an expert in alcohol-related liver disease and directs alcohol sciences at the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. His team published the findings in the journal Liver International.
Drinking too much alcohol is known to damage the liver. Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is one of the main causes of liver-related deaths around the world. In this study, the researchers wanted to find out if cannabis had any impact on this kind of liver damage.
They looked at the health records of over 66,000 adults who had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder between 2010 and 2022.
These people were followed for three years. The researchers divided them into three groups: one group that also had cannabis use disorder, a second group that used cannabis but were not addicted, and a third group that didn’t use cannabis at all.
The results were surprising. People who had both alcohol and cannabis use disorders were 40% less likely to develop liver disease than people who only drank heavily. They also had a 17% lower risk of developing serious liver problems and a 14% lower chance of dying from any cause.
Even people who used cannabis but were not dependent showed some protection from liver problems. While the exact reason for this protection is not yet clear, earlier studies in animals suggest that CBD, a non-intoxicating part of cannabis, might reduce inflammation and stress in the liver.
Too much fat in the liver is one of the main problems that leads to liver disease in heavy drinkers. The researchers believe that CBD might help liver cells process fat better and reduce the harmful effects of alcohol.
However, the study does not prove that cannabis causes this protective effect. It only shows a link between cannabis use and better liver outcomes in people who drink too much. That’s why the researchers are being cautious. They don’t want people to think cannabis is harmless or a treatment for liver disease.
Cannabis has its own health risks, especially for young people. The next step is to test the effects of CBD in a carefully controlled clinical trial. CBD does not cause a “high” and is already approved by the FDA to treat certain types of seizures, so it may be safe enough to study further.
In summary, while cannabis—especially its CBD component—may help protect the liver in people who drink heavily, more research is needed. The goal is not to encourage cannabis use, but to understand if parts of the plant could lead to new medicines for liver health.
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