MONDAY, Nov. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A study of more than 66,000 American adults found that heavy users who also used cannabis were less likely to develop liver disease than those who drank heavily without using marijuana.
Although the study authors were quick to say that this is not a recommendation to start smoking cannabis, the CBD component in the plant could help protect compromised livers.
“CBD appears to calm inflammation and reduce some of the chemical signals that lead to liver scarring,” said Dr. Juan Pablo Arab, lead author of the study. “Our findings show that actual cannabis use may have some of these same protective effects in people who drink excessively.”
He directs alcohol science at the Stravitz Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, part of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. His team recently published their findings in the journal Liver International.
It has long been known that excessive alcohol intake has a toxic effect on the liver. In fact, alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is one of the leading causes of liver-related death worldwide.
In the new study, the VCU team tracked the liver health of a group of more than 66,000 people over three years. All participants were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder between 2010 and 2022.
They were divided into three groups: a group in which participants were also diagnosed with cannabis use disorder; A second in which participants used cannabis but were not addicted to it; A third did not use cannabis at all.
The team found that among patients diagnosed with cannabis use disorder, ALD rates were 40% lower compared to the group that did not use marijuana. The cannabis disorder group also had a 17% lower risk of serious liver complications and a 14% lower risk of death from any cause.
The study showed that people who drank heavily and used marijuana at unapproved levels also showed some protection against liver disease.
According to the authors, it is still unclear how cannabis can protect the liver. They pointed to previous animal studies that suggested CBD could reduce inflammation and oxidative stress within the organ.
Excess fat accumulation in the liver is a major cause of ALD, and it’s also possible that CBD helps liver cells process fat more efficiently, according to the team.
Should heavy drinkers rush to take up cannabis?
Not so fast, the authors said. They noted that marijuana carries health risks, especially among younger users.
“This study shows an association, not cause and effect,” said study co-author Dr. Boutros Fakhoury, a hospitalist at Virginia Commonwealth Health. “Cannabis may have protective properties, but we still don’t know exactly how much, what form, or what dosage might be safe or effective. The goal is not to encourage the use of cannabis, but to understand parts of it that might be promising as a medicine.”
The next step is to test CBD’s ability to protect the liver, specifically in a controlled clinical trial.
The authors note that CBD itself is not an intoxicant and has already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat some seizure disorders.
More information
There is more information about alcohol-related liver disease at Cleveland Clinic.
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University, press release, November 18, 2025