on PinterestThe risk of “scromiting” increases with chronic cannabis use, especially daily use.
on PinterestThe risk of “scromiting” increases with chronic cannabis use, especially daily use. Maskot/Getty Images
- A vomiting disorder linked to chronic cannabis use, known colloquially as “scromiting,” is rising sharply across the United States.
- A new national analysis reveals that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) cases increased fivefold from 2016 to 2022, particularly among young adults.
- The trend raises urgent questions for patients and caregivers about recognizing early symptoms and reducing risk as cannabis use becomes more common.
A serious vomiting disorder associated with chronic cannabis use is on the rise across the United States.
In a large, retrospective analysis of emergency department visits, researchers found that cases of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) rose dramatically between 2016 and 2022, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings were recently published in JAMA Network Open.
CHS is a form of cannabis-induced cyclical vomiting characterized by nausea, abdominal pain, and bouts of recurrent vomiting that can last hours or even days.
The disorder has earned the graphic nickname “scromiting,” a portmanteau of “screaming” and “vomiting.” The disorder is also frequently linked to excessive hot bathing and showering, which reportedly eases the symptoms.
The risk of CHS diagnosis increases with chronic cannabis use, especially daily use.
Although CHS is uncommon, it appears to be becoming more frequent as cannabis legalization expands in the US. Greater access to cannabis products, an ever-expanding variety of products, and higher-potency all likely play a role. However, experts note that the exact cause of CHS remains unclear.
CHS was first documented in Australia in 2004, but has largely remained something of a fringe diagnosis over the past twenty years. Due to this status, its true prevalence is still largely unknown, with the syndrome likely being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
James A. Swartz, PhD, a professor and interim associate dean for research at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the and the study’s primary investigator, has been studying the effects of cannabis legalization in Illinois for several years and became interested in CHS after seeing reports of mysterious, uncontrollable vomiting linked to cannabis use.
“We wanted to determine how common this is and whether it was changing over time,” he told Healthline. “AND We found that it sharply increased during the COVID epidemic and has declined some since then, but it has remained well elevated above COVID levels.”
Sharp increase in cannabis induced vomiting cases
The study used a nationally representative sample of emergency department data, analyzing more than 188 million visits and capturing roughly 85% of all U.S. emergency department visits.
Since CHS did not have its own ICD code, a system for classifying diseases and symptoms, at that time (it was only granted its own code in 2025), Swartz had to utilize a proxy diagnosis by combining a simultaneous cannabis use disorder (CUD) with cyclical vomiting.
“We tried to be as careful as possible to divide out people who likely had CHS from other people who probably didn’t because there was no cannabis use reflected in any of the diagnoses in their record, but they had cyclic vomiting,” Swartz said.
Using this proxy
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