Physicians are raising the alarm after a startling new cannabis side effect that has been referred to as “scromiting” is driving users to ERs in large numbers.
The reality is horrifying, even though it sounds like a comedy.
Hospitals have witnessed an increase in patients experiencing acute nausea, unrelenting vomiting, and stomach agony that leaves them doubled over—sometimes several times a year—during the last ten years.
The offender? Syndrome of Cannabis Hyperemesis (CHS).
According to Dr. Beatriz Carlini, research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, “a person will frequently have multiple [emergency department] visits until it is correctly recognized, costing thousands of dollars each time.”
The symptoms are so severe that they literally shout
CHS attacks can linger for days and often manifest 24 hours after cannabis consumption.
Because patients frequently scream while vomiting, medical professionals came up with the name “scromiting.”
According to emergency care specialist Dr. Chris Buresh, “standard anti-nausea medications often don’t work, and there are currently no therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration.”
Doctors occasionally use unconventional treatments, such as applying capsaicin ointment to the stomach, taking hot baths and showers, or even using Haldol, a drug often used to treat psychotic episodes.
“When someone says they feel better after taking a hot shower, that’s something that can solidify the diagnosis for me,” Buresh stated.
“Patients talk about having a lot of hot water in their home.”
Who is in danger?
If cannabis use persists, CHS may recur even after symptoms have subsided. The only method to completely eradicate the condition is to stop using cannabis.
“Because the syndrome strikes intermittently, some cannabis users assume a recent episode was unrelated and continue using — only to become severely ill again,” cautions Carlini.
Although addiction makes abstinence difficult, long-term rehabilitation frequently depends on giving up cannabis entirely.
Why CHS affects some users but not others is still a mystery to scientists.
According to the most widely accepted view, the body’s natural regulation of nausea and vomiting is upset when the endocannabinoid system is overstimulated.
“It seems like there is a threshold when people can become vulnerable to this condition, and that threshold is different for everyone,” says Dr. Buresh. For certain persons, even tiny doses of the drug can cause vomiting.
Early and prolonged cannabis usage is substantially associated with ER visits for scromiting, according to a George Washington University study that polled over 1,000 CHS patients.
Unsettlingly, between 2016 and 2023, the number of adolescent cases in the US more than tenfold increased, with the fastest increases taking place in places where cannabis use for recreational purposes is still prohibited. Interestingly, younger users experienced more CHS cases in places where cannabis is still banned, even though overall CHS cases were more common in states where it is allowed.
CHS was formally acknowledged
On October 1, 2025, CHS was officially recognized by the WHO and assigned a diagnosis code. Carlini clarified the importance:
“A new code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome will provide crucial hard data on cannabis-related adverse events, which doctors tell us are becoming more common.”
Experts caution that cannabis users, including adults and teenagers, should be aware of this potentially crippling illness since emergency room visits are on the rise.
