Science has yet to point the finger at weed as a serious health risk for even chronic users. Yes, there’s talk of cognition problems and lung issues (the latter for smokers only). By and large, though, the jury is out on whether the drug has any long-term negative effects.
There is, however, at least one verified and totally, totally nasty thing weed can do to the regular smoker. Hope you didn’t just eat lunch.
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS, is a rare but confirmed side effect of regular, long-term weed use. Among other things, CHS sufferers experience sudden and randomly occurring bouts of intense nausea paired with vomiting. Basically, they barf and barf for hours or even days on end with symptoms subsiding as suddenly and unaccountably as they first appeared. We warned you.
While CHS is in no way fatal in of itself, sufferers can experience intense dehydration due to the profuse, non-stop vomiting. In severe cases, hospitalization may be required to return the patient’s fluid and electrolyte balances to a normal, manageable level before kidney damage ensues.
In various studies, researchers found that CHS sufferers tend to be leaf smokers (not dabbers or eaters) and that the onset of the syndrome usually follows a regular habit lasting at least 16 years. That said, doctors have identified patients as young as 22 years.
As of now, there is little understanding of what causes CHS, though theories about CBD toxicity or grow chemicals abound. Some have even cited THC as the culprit, despite the fact that doctors and patients alike praise the compound for its antiemetic, nausea-fighting properties.
For all its alarming grossness, CHS is easily treatable and preventable. Patients have found that, of all things, hot showers usually cause symptoms to abate quickly. Researchers suggest that doing so may trick the hypothalamus into resetting the patient’s thermoregulatory system, but there’s no satisfactory explanation as to why even that would work.