Heavy alcohol drinkers who also smoke cannabis 'may slash their odds of getting killer liver diseases such as cirrhosis by up to 55%'.

Heavy drinkers who smoked marijuana had 'significantly lower odds' of developing serious problems with their liver, including cirrhosis and a common form of cancer.

Cannabis has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties and its compounds are currently the subject of hundreds of studies.

Both dependent and non-dependent smokers had a 45 per cent lower risk of getting alcoholic steatosis, or 'fatty liver disease'.

They had a 55 per cent lower chance of developing of cirrhosis - scarring of the liver which can lead to liver failure.

Their odds of steatohepatitis (AH), a type of fatty liver disease, were also 43 per cent lower.

And they had 38 per cent lower odds of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) - the most common form of liver cancer.