A Painful Cannabis Condition Is Showing Up More Often
A serious condition tied to repeated cannabis use is getting more attention after a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found rising emergency department visits among younger marijuana users. The slang name is “scromiting,” which sounds like something a teenager made up online because, well, it is social media slang. The real medical name is Cannabis, or cannabinoid, hyperemesis syndrome, also called CHS. According to Jackson Health System, CHS can happen when repeated cannabis use disrupts the body’s normal ability to control nausea. The result can be ongoing nausea, severe stomach pain, and uncontrollable vomiting. Not exactly the “no big deal” sales pitch some folks have been serving up with a smile.
The Numbers Are Especially High for Younger Users
The Hill reported that Virginia authorities have seen emergency department visits for CHS jump almost 29% since 2020, with other notable spikes reported in Massachusetts, Northern California, and parts of North Carolina. An official at Duke Regional Hospital in Durham said last summer that patients with CHS are seen “every week, if not every day.” CDC data also showed that from January 2023 to September 2025, patients ages 15 to 24 had the highest average share of monthly emergency department visits, at nearly 10 per 10,000. After a diagnostic code for CHS was introduced in October, the rate for that age group jumped to nearly 39 per 10,000. The next-highest group, ages 25 to 34, had a rate of 28 per 10,000.
Rarely Fatal, But Not Something to Ignore
CHS was first identified in Australia about two decades ago, and the nickname “scromiting” comes from the intense screaming and vomiting linked to the condition. In rare cases, it can be fatal. Hot showers may help treat symptoms, but the best way to combat CHS is to stop cannabis use immediately. The Cleveland Clinic advises people with CHS to call 911 or go to the nearest hospital if they have dark or very little pee, sudden confusion or delirium, dizziness, fatigue or unexplained sleepiness, a quickened heart rate, rapid breathing, or fainting. That is a serious list, and parents should not brush it off as just a bad stomach bug or another dramatic episode from the young adult department.
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