While Barbara Pompili has just proposed to open the debate on the legalization of recreational cannabis, the United States is facing a new “epidemic of vomiting” linked to the regular consumption of this drug.
- Nearly one in five people hospitalized for vomiting in the United States reported concurrent cannabis use in 2020.
- At present, scientists do not know why some suffer from Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (or CHS) and others do not.
For some time, American doctors have been faced with a new “epidemic of vomiting”, which is particularly rife in states that have legalized recreational cannabis.
Teenagers are affected
Regular cannabis users, sometimes very young, are increasingly coming to the emergency room complaining of serious intestinal disorders. “They are writhing, holding their stomachs, complaining of abdominal pain and very violent nausea”, reports Dr. Sam Wang, an emergency physician and toxicologist at Colorado Children’s Hospital. “They vomit everything in their stomach, which can last for hours”, continues the doctor. In general, vomiting begins in the evening. Another disturbing fact: “Patients often say they took a hot shower before coming to the emergency room to relieve themselves, but it didn’t help. We think it’s Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (or CHS)” , observes Sam Wang.
Very new in the medical world, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome was first identified in 2004 by Australian researchers. They then identified 19 regular marijuana users who had repeated episodes of abdominal pain and vomiting, and found that the symptoms disappeared once the patients stopped smoking. Half of them then declared that they treated themselves by taking extremely hot showers or baths. Why ? Mystery.
Increased THC concentrations
To try to find out a little more about this curious evil, Dr. Wang carried out a study in Colorado, which has just been published in JAMA. There, more than 800,000 cases of intense vomiting were reported between 2013 and 2018, which represents an increase of approximately 29% since the legalization of recreational cannabis in this state (in 2014, editor’s note). More than a third of these cases of intense vomiting involved people aged 25 or younger.
According to Sam Wang, this increase in cases could be linked to the doses of THC, which are increasingly strong. “The amount of THC in cannabis has increased dramatically in recent years.” explains the doctor. “In the 90s, the average was 4 or 5 percent smoked. Today in Colorado, it’s 15 to 20 percent.”
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