Emergency rooms across the United States are seeing a noticeable influx in habitual marijuana users – including teenagers – being admitted for uncontrollable vomiting and intestinal distress, a new study reveals.
The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN.
‘They are writhing, holding their stomach, complaining of really bad abdominal pain and nausea,’ said Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist who treats teens with the condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
‘They vomit and then just continue to vomit whatever they have in their stomach, which can go on for hours.’
‘They often say they took a scalding hot shower before they came to the ER but it didn’t help. That’s when we know we may have a case of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS,’ Wang added.
The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN
Pictured: Map of marijuana legality by state
The volume of CHS cases has skyrocketed over the years, with more than 800,000 cases of reported vomiting in Colorado between 2013 and 2018 alone, making for a 29 percent increase since marijuana was legalized in the state back in 2012, according to Wang’s analysis, which was published Friday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
And the study found that teens and young adults are being hit particularly hard by the condition, with over a third of the vomiting cases occurred in people 25 years of age and younger.
‘This is not a rare problem,’ Wang said.
‘When an adolescent comes in with cyclical abdominal pain and vomiting, my colleagues know to ask about cannabis use. It’s a pretty common practice to see this and diagnose and treat it.’
Treatment for CHS typically consists of anti-nausea medication along with fluid IVs to help treat dehydration from the vomiting.
However, patients admitted for CHS also must undergo a series of tests to better identify the diagnosis, including CT scans, endoscopy, blood and urine tests and gastric emptying tests, among others.
Dr. Wang says some of the younger CHS patients can be re-admitted multiple times due to the condition, forcing them to undergo such tests, which are oftentimes expensive and unpleasant.
‘For some of our kids, this is their fifth ER visit in the past two months, with symptoms that they can’t control,’ Wang said.
Medical professionals say patients who wait too long to be treated for the condition are potentially putting their lives at risk.
‘Regardless of whether it’s cannabis hyperemesis syndrome or another virus that makes you vomit a lot, if you let it go too long, you can have electrolyte disturbances, go into shock and have organ failure. CHS is no different,’ Wang said.
As more states pass legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, the issue of CHS could become even more prevalent, warns Dr. Wang.
A recent Pew survey found that 60 percent of US adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use
In the US, 17 states (and the District of Columbia) have legalized recreational marijuana for adults.
Meanwhile, three dozen states and several US territories have medical marijuana laws on the books, as well.
A recent Pew survey found that 60 percent of US adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use.