Tommy Chong, the veteran star of the dope-fuelled Cheech and Chong films, says he has beaten prostate cancer with a combination of cannabis use and a special diet.

Chong, 74, was diagnosed with cancer in June last year following a three-year period in which he said he had been drug free. He now says he is 99% free of the disease after a Canadian doctor helped him change his diet to include a variety of special supplements, as well as hemp oil. He then sat for a number of sessions with a practitioner named Adam Dreamhealer, described as a "world-renowned healer".

"That's right, I kicked cancer's ass!" Chong wrote on the website CelebStoner.com. "So the magic plant does cure cancer with the right diet and supplements. I'm due for another blood test, MRI, etc, but I feel the best I've felt in years. And now for a celebration joint of the finest Kush …"

Together with collaborator Cheech Marin, Chong starred in eight films between 1971 and 1985, including the pair's classic debut Up in Smoke. During that period the duo also released eight albums, three of which hit the US top 10. The duo split in the mid-80s, but began touring together again in 2008.