Study: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Prevalence

OG article by Gillian Jalimnson

November 28, 2025

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), dubbed "scromiting" for its screaming-vomiting episodes, has surged in US emergency departments, a University of Illinois study in JAMA Network Open reveals. Analyzing 2016–2022 data from 188 million visits, researchers found CHS rates climbing from 4.4 to 22.3 per 100,000, peaking at 33.1 in Q2 2020 amid pandemic stress and isolation that spiked cannabis use.

Young adults bore the brunt: 35.7% of cases aged 18–25, 31.5% 26–35, reflecting heavy chronic use patterns. With recreational cannabis legal in nearly half of states by June 2025 and medical programs covering three-quarters of residents, accessibility fuels this trend, though proxy ICD-10 coding risks misclassification from underreporting or symptom overlap.

Authors call for refined clinical recognition, noting COVID's role in sustained elevation despite a post-2021 dip.

First identified in Australia in 2004, CHS causes recurrent nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting in long-term users, often relieved only by hot showers. As legalization expands, the study warns of underdiagnosis without proper workups, urging education on risks to curb ER burdens and promote safer consumption amid growing normalization.