Doctors across the country say 'scromiting' is becoming a familiar site in emergency rooms. Patients are showing up screaming and vomiting as they plead for help.
The condition, Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), is not totally understood, but doctors believe the symptoms appear from people who consume lots of marijuana over a long period of time.
Dr. Aimee Moulin, an emergency room physician at UC-Davis Medical Center, says she's seen a rise in 'scromiting' cases ever since California legalized recreational marijuana in November 2016.
She also expects to see even more 'scromiters' after commercial sales start happening in January. 48-year-old Chalfonte LeNee Queen described what happened to her:
"I've screamed out for death. I've cried out for my mom, who's been dead for 20 years, mentally not realizing she can't come to me."
Not much research has been done on CHS, but one study found that cannabis users would have to consume marijuana 3 to 5 times a day for 'scromiting' to happen.
Here's how the National Center for Biotechnology Information defines CHS:
"Often mistakenly called Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is a rare form of cannabinoid toxicity that develops in chronic smokers.'
‘It’s characterized by cyclic episodes of debilitating nausea and vomiting. People who suffer from the syndrome often find that hot showers relieve their symptoms, and will compulsively bathe during episodes of nausea and vomiting. Symptoms stop after cessation of cannabis use."