If you’re over a certain age, chances are you’ll remember all too well the huge societal stigma around cannabis that lingered until around two decades ago.
I mean, there are still plenty of places in the world that consider the drug a serious problem (and they often have punishments that reflect their stance) but there has been a shift regarding how the general population sees cannabis.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the US, where the drug is currently legal in 24 states for recreational use. What’s more, it’s likely that far fewer people consider it the “devil’s drug” these days, even if they’re not prone to partaking themselves.
Put simply, it’s not all that difficult to envisage a world wherein cannabis is no longer so taboo in a few decades’ time.
And yet it’s definitely not without its pitfalls and potential dangers. Anyone who’s ever heard of “scromiting” can tell you that.
Cannabis and the effects of THC on the human brain are well documented. Users can experience anything from euphoria and relaxation to anxiety, paranoia and, in rare cases, psychosis.
What isn’t nearly so well scribed is the horrifying reality of “scromiting”. Over the past decade, hospitals have reportedly seen a surge in patients suffering from severe nausea, relentless vomiting, and stomach pain so extreme it leaves them doubled over — sometimes multiple times a year.
The culprit? Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS).
CHS attacks usually appear within 24 hours of cannabis use and can last for days. Medical staff coined the term scromiting because sufferers often scream while vomiting.
Dr. Chris Buresh, an emergency medicine specialist, explains the difficulty in treatment: “There are currently no therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and standard anti-nausea medications often don’t work.”
One patient was admitted to the ER four or five times over a six-month period. He described his suffering in vivid detail, and it makes for nightmare fuel.
The man explained that the pain was “burning” and “agonizing” around his stomach, and that he was left to vomit uncontrollably. He tried to treat himself with excessively hot showers, but when he finally decided to make his way to hospital, he had to be given morphine to manage the pain.
Another individual who had experienced “scromiting” likened the pain to childbirth, describing it as “some of the worst physical pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
“I’m just begging God, please make it stop,” she recalled.
Even after symptoms subside, CHS can return if cannabis use continues. Stopping cannabis is the only way to fully get rid of the condition.
“Because the syndrome strikes intermittently, some cannabis users assume a recent episode was unrelated and continue using — only to become severely ill again,” says Dr. Beatriz Carlini, research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
A study from George Washington University surveyed over 1,000 CHS patients, finding that early and prolonged cannabis use is strongly linked to ER visits for scromiting.
Disturbingly, adolescent cases in the US have jumped more than tenfold from 2016 to 2023, with the fastest rises occurring in states where recreational cannabis is still illegal. Interestingly, while overall CHS cases were more common in states where cannabis is legal, younger users saw more cases in states where it remains illegal.
