What should state leaders do when a lucrative industry generating some $9 billion in gross sales is linked to a rise in a painful, often debilitating medical condition?
That’s a question that should be top of mind in Massachusetts and other states that have legalized marijuana.
According to a Nexstar story appearing in The Hill, health care providers across the country have reported spikes in cases of cannabinoid (or cannabis) hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS, linked to chronic, long-term marijuana use. It’s also known by the slang term “scromiting,” a combination of screaming and vomiting. It causes recurring bouts of severe stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. The intense pain of such episodes can be so bad that sufferers scream.
A 2025 study found that 4.4 out of 100,000 emergency department visits were diagnosed as CHS in 2016. In 2020, the rate jumped to 33.1 per 100,000 visits before dropping in 2022 to 22.3 per 100,000.
Tufts Medical Center research found CHS cases per 10,000 ED visits increased from 0.729 to 10.6 in Massachusetts (2012-2021). Those aged 18–34 experienced the fastest rise in CHS prevalence, with young adults, Hispanic individuals, Black individuals, and males having the overall highest 10-year prevalence.
Chronic use, as defined by the Nova Recovery Center, is using a substance daily or almost daily, over weeks, months, or years. A George Washington University study of more than 1,000 people who reported experiencing CHS found that over 40% said they used marijuana more than five times a day. Roughly the same proportion of people said they had regularly used marijuana for more than five years before experiencing CHS.
Not everyone who indulges in marijuana turns into a chronic user, but the spike in CHS cases is a red flag.
Marijuana sales, however, are a cash cow in Massachusetts.
“Every billion-dollar cannabis sales milestone is a reminder that this new sector supports thousands of jobs and transitions thousands of customers from the unregulated market,” Chair Shannon O’Brien said in a release last month.
“Each purchase is an investment in a legal, local business offering safely tested products to adult consumers to help fund any number of state operations and services.”
“Sales milestones like this one demonstrate the significant impact of a highly regulated industry that is still less than a decade old,” Executive Director Travis Ahern added. “The entire Commonwealth stands to benefit because cannabis tax revenue supports vital programs and services, from the MBTA to the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund and substance abuse treatment programs.”
We need revenue, that’s a given. And industry growth is generally a good thing. But there’s clearly a pothole on this particular road to success.
Massachusetts needs to get the word out on CHS, what the early signs are, what chronic use looks like, and provide resources to dial back consumption or quit.
Taking action now could keep a spike in CHS cases from turning into a public health crisis.
