A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found a sharp rise in emergency room visits due to excessive nausea and uncontrollable vomiting from cannabis use.

The symptoms are a result of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, a condition that has become increasingly common in recent years. The syndrome is sometimes informally called “scromiting,” a combination of “screaming” and “vomiting” that some patients experience.

Nausea, Vomiting, and Stomach Pain

Along with nausea and vomiting, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is characterized by intense abdominal pain.

Symptoms can last for up to seven days during an acute episode of “scromiting,” according to Elisabeth Poorman, MD, MPH, an internal medicine physician and assistant professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Although scromiting typically occurs from excessive cannabis usage, there isn’t an exact daily dosage known to trigger the condition.

“We have a lot of cannabis receptors in our brain, but also in our gastrointestinal tracts,” Poorman said. “Cannabis can cause us to have increased hunger in the acute period and can even sometimes help with nausea.”

“But with prolonged use, there seems to be some derangement of the normal receptors in our GI tract, such that they respond abnormally,” she added. “And people can actually have chronic nausea that can escalate into the cyclical vomiting syndrome.”

In October 2025, the CDC added an official ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome.

Young People Have the Highest Rates of ER Visits

The CDC noted that emergency department visits related to cannabis hyperemesis syndrome were more common among people ages 15 to 24 from October 2025 through May 2026.

Poorman said that the rise may be driven by the CDC’s introduction of the diagnosis code in October, but cannabis use among young people remains a concern.

“Young people have more access to cannabis with legalization, even if there are guardrails on who can buy cannabis at dispensaries,” she added. “A lot of them also received the message that cannabis is natural and safe, whereas the products that they’re buying are highly engineered.”

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Weed Vapes May Be More Risky

The type of cannabis someone uses may affect how quickly cannabis hyperemesis syndrome develops. A recent study in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research found that the symptoms may come on sooner among people who use vape cartridges compared with those who smoke cannabis flower.

Poorman reiterated that edibles and electronic vapes can be the most unpredictable. “Edibles are the most commonly linked to emergency room visits because people tend to overdose due its slow onset,” she said. “They think that they’re not getting the effect, and so they’ll take more.”

She is also concerned about the high THC concentrations in some cannabis products. “With vapes, there can be hyper-concentrated forms,” Poorman said. “Natural cannabis will have around 1% of THC, most joints that you would buy would have 15%, and then vapes can have up to 90% of THC.

“So all things considered, probably flower is the safest to ingest, and try to limit your THC to 10% or less,” she added.

Quitting Cannabis Is the Most Effective Treatment

Research has found that hot-water hydrotherapy, topical capsaicin cream, and prescribed medications could treat cannabis hypermesis syndrome.

However, the most effective option is to stop using cannabis entirely. For heavy, chronic users, quitting can result in cannabis withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, anxiety, or sleep disturbances.

“We don’t have great treatments acutely,” Poorman said. “Chronic nausea and intermittent vomiting can still happen for six months after cannabis cessation.”