Frequent cannabis users are being alerted to a side effect that might necessitate a hospital visit.
As of 2023, approximately 17 percent of Americans reported having smoked cannabis, with the drug now legally available in 24 states, including recent additions like Ohio and Minnesota, which have approved its recreational use.
With the legalization of cannabis in numerous states, researchers have been investigating the effects on regular, long-term users.
Health experts define chronic cannabis use as regular consumption over extended periods, typically daily or almost daily.
While increased appetite is a common effect of cannabis, experts have noted a rise in hospital visits due to severe stomach issues in cannabis users.
Emergency rooms have been treating individuals experiencing abdominal pain and severe, prolonged vomiting, with the commonality among them being chronic cannabis usage.
This condition is identified as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a disorder causing symptoms like nausea. According to UW Medicine, these gastrointestinal symptoms generally manifest within 24 hours of the latest cannabis use and can persist for several days.
Chronic cannabis users can experience these symptoms three to four times annually.
The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases has recognized the condition on their website, enabling experts to track cases more effectively and understand the effects of persistent cannabis use on health.
Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, stated, “It helps us count and monitor these cases. In studying addiction and other public health concerns, we have three sources of data: what clinicians tell us, what people in the communities tell us, and what health records tell us.”
“A new code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome will supply important hard evidence on cannabis-adverse events, which physicians tell us is a growing problem.”
Despite WHO’s recognition of the condition, many medical professionals are still unfamiliar with CHS, which might lead to misdiagnoses such as food poisoning or stomach flu.
Carlini elaborated, “A person often will have multiple [emergency department] visits until it is correctly recognized, costing thousands of dollars each time.”
Scientists are continuing to explore CHS, aiming to determine when cannabis users become susceptible to the syndrome.
Emergency medicine specialist, Dr. Chris Buresh, commented, “Some people say they’ve used cannabis without a problem for decades. Or they smoke pot because they think it treats their nausea.”
“It seems like there’s a threshold when people can become vulnerable to this condition, and that threshold is different for everyone. Even using in small amounts can make these people start throwing up.”