Daily Cannabis Use: Risk Factor for Fibrosis Progression in HCV Patients

Cannabis is the most commonly used recreational drug in the Western Hemisphere. Cannabinoids exert biologic effects via cannabinoid receptors CB₁ and CB₂. In experimental models, these receptors have been shown to regulate liver fibrosis progression. Therefore, cannabis could have detrimental effects on the liver. In this cross-sectional study, researchers in France explored the effect of cannabis use on hepatic fibrosis progression in 270 patients with untreated hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections who were undergoing liver biopsy and who had known durations of infection (mean duration, 19 years).

The outcome variable — fibrosis progression rate (FPR) — was defined as the ratio of the fibrosis stage to the duration of infection in years (medi…