Visits to Ontario emergency departments (EDs) for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) increased sharply in the years following the legalization of cannabis products in October 2019, with most of the increase occurring after commercialization early in the pandemic led to unlimited availability and marketing of an increased number of more potent products, researchers report. “Greater awareness of symptoms of CHS by physicians in regions with legal recreational and particularly commercial cannabis markets is indicated,” the authors conclude.
CHS is “a lesser-known complication associated with persistent use of high potency cannabis, involving repeated episodes of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.”
In the cross-sectional study, monthly rates of CHS increased from 0.26 visits per 100,000 population in Jan. 2014 to 3.43 visits per 100,000 population in June 2021. ED visits frequently led to hospital admissions, with 8.8% of patients requiring acute care. “Legalization was not associated with an immediate or gradual change in rates of ED visits for CHS; however, commercialization during the COVID-19 pandemic period was associated with an immediate increase in rates of CHS ED visits (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.31–1.70),” the authors write. “During commercialization, rates of CHS ED visits increased more in women (IRR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.16–1.92) and individuals older than the legal age of cannabis purchase (eg, age 19-24 years: IRR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19–2.16) than men (IRR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.85-1.37) and individuals younger than the legal age of purchase (IRR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.42–1.45).”