Marijuana is becoming increasingly legalized across the United States, leaving doobie-smokers and civil liberties activists alike celebrating the growing acceptance of the recreational drug.
But were you aware of this new mystery syndrome where tokers start vomiting everywhere and can only stop long enough to take a boiling hot shower after which they keep vomiting again?
No? You weren't?
An unusual illness is on the rise in the United States, especially in states that have legalized marijuana. Habitual users of cannabis, including teenagers, are showing up in emergency rooms complaining of severe intestinal distress.
"They are writhing, holding their stomach, complaining of really bad abdominal pain and nausea," said Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist at Children's Hospital Colorado, who treats adolescents with the condition.
"They vomit and then just continue to vomit whatever they have in their stomach, which can go on for hours," said Wang. "They often say they took a scalding hot shower before they came to the ER but it didn't help.
"That's when we know we may have a case of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS."
Ummm...yeah. That sounds less like a medical condition and more like an infestation of a parasitic alien species that is slowly taking over your body and which thrives on scalding water.
"It's not entirely clear who is predisposed to getting it," Wang said. "Is it a certain frequency or duration of use? Is it a specific potency? Or is it a specific type of product? We don't have that data."
