By FOX TV Digital Team
Published July 8, 2024 7:26am EDT
Demand for high-potency marijuana causing concerns
Cary Quashen, Owner of Action Family Counseling, joins LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall to dive deep into concerns over the rising demand for high-potency marijuana.
As marijuana use becomes more prevalent, a severe illness linked to frequent cannabis use is also on the rise.
Cannabinoid (or Cannabis) hyperemesis syndrome, also known as CHS, is an often debilitating condition that affects a small but growing number of chronic marijuana users.
People with CHS experience severe nausea and vomiting, in some cases 20-24 times a day. It can last days or even weeks and is hard to control – often the only thing that brings relief is a hot shower or bath.
RELATED: Frequent marijuana use linked to increase in heart attack and stroke risk
Signs of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome
In National Library of Medicine literature, doctors outlined the following criteria for diagnosing CHS:
- Long-term cannabis use (often daily)
- Cyclic nausea and vomiting
- Relief when stopping marijuana
- Hot showers/baths relieve symptoms
- Abdominal pain
RELATED: Teen use of delta-8, an unregulated marijuana alternative, is rising
Ironically, marijuana is often used to treat two key symptoms of CHS: Recent data compiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded there is “credible scientific support” for the use of marijuana to treat pain, anorexia, nausea and vomiting.
Doctors are seeing a rise in serious illness linked to heavy marijuana use (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
Three cycles of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome
There are three phases of CHS, according to Connecticut state’s Adult Cannabis Use website:
- Prodromal – Nausea and vomiting following long-term cannabis use. This often leads to a person using more cannabis to reduce nausea.
- Hyperemetic – Triggered by increased cannabis use, nausea, abdominal pains and vomiting increase
- Recovery – Once a person stops using cannabis, symptoms may take several weeks to decrease and disappear until they begin using again, which starts the cycle over.
What causes cannabis hyperemesis syndrome?
Researchers are still early in their exploration of what causes CHS. Dr. Sushrut Jangi, a gastroenterologist at Tufts Medical Center, told The Boston Globe it has something to do with the “somewhat mysterious” endocannabinoid system, which regulates critical bodily functions like sleep, mood, pain control, immune response, appetite and more.
READ MORE: Michigan dog attacks, nearly kills owner after being fed THC gummy
A lot of receptors in the brain and the gut bind to THC, the substance in cannabis that makes people feel high. Those receptors evolve after long-term cannabis use, Jangi told The Globe.
Jangi said although it’s hard to calculate, he estimates somewhere between 5% and 20% of chronic marijuana users will experience CHS.
According to the National Library of Medicine, after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, ER visits for cyclic vomiting nearly doubled.