Can THC Cause Liver Damage? Risks Based On Research

Cannabis or weed usage has become super common nowadays all across the world. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is a compound found in Cannabis. This is the same component that makes you feel that feeling of high. Nowadays cannabis is gaining acceptance in many countries because of its medical values. But as acceptance grows so do questions. Questions about its safety. One of the most asked questions in this regard is “Can THC cause Liver damage?’ and what is the relation between THC and fatty liver? Well, we will try to shed some light on this topic in this blog. But to understand that we first need to understand how our bodies process this THC compound. 

What Is THC? How Does The Body Process It?

THC is the main compound found in cannabis or weed. This is the compound that is responsible for making you feel that high after smoking weed or putting it inside your body in any other method. Once it enters your body, it then goes into your bloodstream and is then transferred to your liver for metabolism. It is then time for your liver to break it down using its enzymes. The liver converts it into metabolites that can be easily eliminated by your body. So your liver has a direct involvement in this process of eliminating THC from your body. So can THC cause liver problems?

How Can THC Cause Liver Damage?

Honestly, there isn’t much scientific evidence for us to say an undisputed Yes, at least not enough to say that THC can cause direct liver damage. Most of the studies conducted to date say that cannabis in moderate amounts can cause no harm to your liver. At least not to healthy individuals with no prior liver condition. But if you have a prior condition like Hepatitis C then cannabis can increase the accumulation of ft in your liver. This can eventually lead to fatty liver. While using cannabis occasionally appears to be low in risk, high-dose THC consumption can have some indirect effects on your liver health. Some studies have shown that if you use excessive amounts of cannabis use it could influence your liver enzymes or it can react with other metabolites created by the liver. 

Factors that increase Liver risk

• Previously existing Liver conditions: people who have pre-existing liver diseases like Hepatitis C or liver cirrhosis can be more vulnerable to the effects of THC. In these conditions the liver is already not functioning very well so adding more pressure to it by smoking cannabis just doesn’t make sense. It will only increase the metabolic load on your liver. It is very possible that THC will hasten the progression of these diseases. Your liver health also one of the many factors that affect THC elimination duration.

• Mixing Cannabis with Alcohol: We all know that alcohol is the liver’s worst enemy. Alcohol in particular damages the liver like no other substance. Adding cannabis to alcohol is risky because it will amplify alcohol’s effect. This will eventually affect your liver by complicating the process of liver metabolising these substances.   

• THC interaction with other medications: THC can definitely interact with medications. It may affect the liver enzymes responsible for the metabolism of other drugs. This can lead to an alteration in how your body processes these medications. It may increase the side effects of the medicines or it can make these medicines less effective. If you are someone who is on prescription drugs then you should be a bit extra careful of this. 

If you are suffering from these conditions or you are on any medication or if you drink a lot of alcohol, you might want to stay away from weed. Because “Can THC cause liver disease?”, not sure but is THC bad for liver if you already have some liver disease? Probably yes. 

Can Cannabis Ever Be Beneficial For Liver Health?

Believe it or not, it is found in some studies that Cannabis can actually be helpful for your liver health. Well not cannabis as a whole is beneficial for liver health bu another compound present in it called CBD (Cannabidiol). It is a non-psychoactive compound that in foun in cannabis along with THC. There is a significant difference between THC and CBD. CBD is generally used for therapeutic purposes and in some cases CBD is seen to have anti-inflammatory properties which could be helpful. But the research on this subject is not as strong and does not have much backing, so do not take it as a recommendation and start smoking weed to better your liver health. For proper guidance go to a doctor and let them have a closer look at you.

Safer Alternative

If you are looking for ways to relieve your stress and pain with no concerns about liver damage at heart then you do not need to resort to THC. There are safer and better alternatives:

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
• Yoga & meditation
• CBD 
• Supervised medical treatment.

Final Thoughts

So can THC cause liver failure? Well no, not really. There is not enough research available for us to make the claim that THC is harmful to your liver. For healthy individuals, moderate usage poses no threats. With an already weak or dysfunctional liver, smoking cannabis can be harmful. Although THC and cannabis have shown some medical benefits over the years but using them too often and getting addicted can be of no good. If you are already addicted to it then the path to quitting isn’t going to be easy but with enough help from weed addiction treatment and a little bit of strong willpower from yourself, it can be made easy.