Regular cannabis enthusiasts often praise the substance for its purported euphoric and calming effects. However, medical professionals are raising alarms about a severe side effect that is increasingly sending long-term users to the hospital. Dubbed “scromiting”—a mashup of “screaming” and “vomiting”—this phenomenon is causing significant concern.

This alarming condition, known as Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), can strike frequent cannabis users within 24 hours of consumption. Victims of CHS endure relentless nausea, severe abdominal pain, and vomiting episodes that can occur four to five times per hour.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic describe the condition as so intense that sufferers find themselves screaming in pain while they vomit, highlighting the agony associated with CHS.

Recent studies indicate a dramatic increase in hospitalizations due to CHS, with cases multiplying fourfold in just six years. In 2016, approximately 4.4 out of every 100,000 emergency room visits were attributed to this syndrome. By 2022, that number had surged to 22.3.

Current estimates suggest around 17.7 million Americans use cannabis daily or nearly every day, putting them at risk for CHS. This condition predominantly affects those who consume cannabis frequently, emphasizing the need for awareness among regular users.

About 17.7million Americans use cannabis daily or near daily, estimates suggest, putting them at risk of the condition which is almost always recorded in frequent users.

Doctors fear the condition may also now be becoming more common because THC levels, the active ingredient in cannabis, have surged more than 10-fold since the 1970s. 

It is not clear how many people suffer from the condition, but a 2018 study suggested 32.9 percent of patients who smoke cannabis on 20 or more days per month develop CHS symptoms. 

Doctors are warning that long-term cannabis users are being hospitalized with a serious condition (stock photo) 

In October this year, the World Health Organization and the CDC recognized CHS as a condition and gave it its own diagnosis code, allowing physicians to track cases.

Physicians warn that many patients do not connect the condition to cannabis because it can strike hours after using the drug, making them think another factor could be involved.

Dr Beatriz Carlini, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington who has researched the condition, said previously in a statement: ‘A person often will have multiple [emergency department] visits until it is correctly recognized, costing thousands of dollars each time.

‘Some people say they’ve used cannabis without a problem for decades. Or they smoke pot because they think it treats their nausea.

‘It seems like there’s a threshold when people can become vulnerable to this condition, and that threshold is different for everyone. Even using in small amounts can make these people start throwing up.’

It is not clear what causes the condition, but doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say it is linked to cannabis overstimulating receptors in the body that control nausea and vomiting.

People who have used marijuana for 10 to 12 years, use the drug at least once a week and have used it since adolescence are most at risk of CHS, doctors say. It has very rarely been reported in people who rarely use the drug.

A 2025 study from George Washington University that surveyed 1,052 people who suffered from CHS found that those who started using cannabis earlier in life were more likely to be hospitalized with the condition.

It also found that almost all CHS patients reported using cannabis daily. Overall, 40 percent said they used the drug five times a day on average.

A total of 44 percent also reported using the drug for more than five years before their symptoms began.

Dr Andrew Meltzer, an emergency medicine physician at George Washington University, who led the research, said in a statement in a press release at the time: ‘Our findings suggest that CHS could represent a costly and largely hidden public health problem.’

Physicians warn that the condition can last for up to 48 hours before it subsides.

Doctors warn that, without treatment, CHS could lead to dehydration, weight loss, tooth decay, choking, injury to the throat and scalding burns from using hot water to try to manage symptoms.

At least eight deaths from CHS have been recorded in the US, according to a 2010 study. Among the patients was Brandon Danielson, from Virginia, who died aged 27 years in September 2019 after suffering from the condition.

It may be diagnosed via its symptoms or by ordering blood or urine tests to check for the presence of cannabis.

There are no FDA-approved treatments for the condition, but doctors say that hot baths and showers may temporarily relieve symptoms.

Doctors warn that there is no FDA-approved treatment for the condition. Doctors often focus on managing symptoms until they subside

In some cases, physicians say they have used medications reserved for psychotic episodes, such as haloperidol, brand name Haldol, to treat patients.

To prevent the condition, doctors say the best way is to quit cannabis completely.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say: ‘The only known treatment to permanently get rid of CHS is to stop cannabis use completely.

‘You may have symptoms and side effects of CHS for a few weeks after quitting cannabis. Over time, symptoms will disappear.’

A total of 24 US states have legalized the recreational use of weed, while seven states have decriminalized the use of weed.