For many older adults, the memory of cannabis as a feared, stigmatized “devil’s drug” is still vivid. But in just a few decades, attitudes have shifted dramatically—especially in the U.S., where recreational use is now legal in 24 states. Even many non-users no longer see cannabis as taboo. Yet beneath this growing acceptance lies a serious, lesser-known danger that has been surfacing with alarming frequency: Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), often referred to by the visceral nickname “scromiting.”
CHS causes waves of relentless nausea, extreme vomiting, and excruciating abdominal pain that can leave people doubled over and rushing to the ER multiple times a year. Symptoms typically begin within 24 hours of cannabis use and can last for days. Doctors say the condition is notoriously difficult to treat—standard anti-nausea medications often fail, and there are no FDA-approved therapies. Many sufferers report that only very hot showers bring temporary relief, while some require strong painkillers like morphine just to cope. Patients have described the agony as “burning,” “nightmarish,” and comparable to childbirth, begging for the pain to stop.
The cruel twist is that CHS doesn’t always strike after every use. Because it flares intermittently, many users convince themselves the last episode was unrelated and continue using cannabis—only to be hit again just as severely. Experts stress that the only guaranteed way to eliminate CHS is to stop using cannabis altogether. As Dr. Beatriz Carlini notes, the pattern of quitting, relapsing, and ending up back in the ER is tragically common among those who don’t recognize the link.
A large study of over 1,000 CHS patients found a strong connection between early, long-term cannabis use and emergency room visits for scromiting. Most alarming is the rise among adolescents: CHS cases in U.S. teens have increased more than tenfold from 2016 to 2023. While overall CHS is more common in states with legal recreational cannabis, the fastest growth in teen cases has been in states where it’s still illegal—suggesting access and risk are more complex than law alone. As cannabis becomes more widely accepted, the surge in this agonizing, under-recognized condition is a sobering reminder that “natural” does not always mean safe—and that the long-term dangers of heavy use demand far more public awareness.
