For many adults, the memory is still fresh: not long ago, cannabis carried a heavy social stigma. Up until roughly two decades ago, public opinion in much of the world painted the drug in an overwhelmingly negative light. While strict laws and harsh penalties remain in some countries, broader attitudes have undeniably shifted.
That transformation is particularly visible in the United States, where recreational cannabis is now legal in 24 states. The substance is no longer widely branded as the “devil’s drug,” even among those who choose not to use it. Increasingly, it’s conceivable that cannabis could lose much of its taboo status entirely within a generation.
Yet normalization does not mean harmlessness.
Medical professionals continue to warn about lesser-known but severe consequences tied to long-term cannabis use. Among them is a disturbing condition informally referred to as “scromiting” — a term born inside emergency rooms.
The word describes episodes of intense vomiting accompanied by screaming, a symptom cluster linked to Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS). Over the past decade, hospitals have reported a notable uptick in patients arriving with extreme nausea, persistent vomiting, and debilitating abdominal pain that can strike repeatedly throughout the year.
CHS episodes typically develop within 24 hours of cannabis consumption and may persist for several days. The severity can be staggering. Emergency physicians coined the term “scromiting” because many patients cry out in agony while vomiting.
Dr. Chris Buresh, an emergency medicine specialist, highlights the therapeutic challenge: “There are currently no therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and standard anti-nausea medications often don’t work.”
One patient sought emergency care four or five times within a six-month window. He described a “burning” and “agonizing” pain centered in his abdomen, paired with uncontrollable vomiting. In desperation, he resorted to standing under extremely hot showers — a coping behavior frequently reported among CHS sufferers. Ultimately, hospital staff administered morphine to control the pain.
Another patient compared the ordeal to childbirth, calling it “some of the worst physical pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
“I’m just begging God, please make it stop,” she recalled.
Doctors stress that even when symptoms temporarily resolve, the syndrome frequently returns if cannabis use continues. The only proven long-term solution is complete cessation.
“Because the syndrome strikes intermittently, some cannabis users assume a recent episode was unrelated and continue using — only to become severely ill again,” explains Dr. Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Research supports those concerns. A study conducted by George Washington University surveyed more than 1,000 individuals diagnosed with CHS and found a strong association between early, prolonged cannabis use and repeated emergency room visits due to scromiting episodes.
Alarmingly, adolescent cases in the US surged more than tenfold between 2016 and 2023. The steepest increases were recorded in states where recreational cannabis remains illegal. While overall CHS incidence was higher in states where cannabis is legal, younger populations experienced sharper rises in regions where it is still prohibited — a trend that raises further public health questions.
As cannabis policy continues to evolve, medical experts emphasize that awareness of conditions like CHS is critical. Legal status may be changing, but the biological risks remain very real.
