Cannabis has long been celebrated as a medicine for nausea, from cancer patients using it during chemotherapy to everyday users who swear by its stomach-settling powers.
That’s why the idea that cannabis itself could cause unrelenting bouts of nausea and vomiting once seemed absurd. Yet over the past two decades, doctors have identified a condition that appears to do just that: cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). Is it real?
CHS remains rare, but awareness is increasing among doctors and regulators.
Australia, 2004
The first clear description of CHS appeared in a 2004 case series from Adelaide, Australia. Doctors reported patients who had been long-term, heavy cannabis users showing cyclical bouts of nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting that would only resolve once they stopped using cannabis. What caught their attention was the strange behavior patients developed, taking repeated hot showers for temporary relief. This “compulsive bathing” became one of the syndrome’s clinical hallmarks. Yet, it’s not relevant for the current diagnosis of CHS.
For years, skeptics argued CHS was a coincidence, a misdiagnosis, or the result of contaminated cannabis (pesticides like neem oil were fingered). But case after case, across continents, something resembling a cannabis-related syndrome has been documented. By the 2010s, emergency departments in legalization states like Colorado and California began reporting sharp increases in vomiting-related hospital visits that tracked with rising cannabis availability. After that, large epidemiological studies confirmed that heavy, daily use is strongly associated with recurrent vomiting episodes, while cessation resolves the problem. So far, Vermont’s Department of Health has tracked an increase in CHS-related emergency visits after legalization.
A 2019 systematic review by Dr. Thangam Venkatesan and others analyzed 25 case series and 105 individual reports. It found that only a minority of cases met rigorous follow-up standards, but when properly assessed, most patients’ symptoms remitted with abstinence. …
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Author: Rolando García / High Times
