For years, Washington lawmakers and activists promoted legal weed as harmless entertainment a substance to normalize and tax for easy revenue. But today, medical experts are raising urgent concerns about the long-term effects of chronic marijuana use. Doctors at the University of Washington (UW) Medicine are sounding the alarm as a disturbing trend emerges among heavy cannabis users: a severe vomiting disorder so widespread that it has now received its own official medical diagnosis code.
The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), has become increasingly common in emergency rooms over the past decade. Doctors repeatedly see patients suffering from intense abdominal pain and uncontrollable vomiting. These cases share one common factor: chronic marijuana use, often tied to the powerful, high-potency cannabis products that dominate Washington’s legal market. This correlation is becoming harder to ignore as the state continues to normalize an industry built around increasingly strong marijuana concentrates.
A major milestone came on October 1, when the World Health Organization added CHS to the International Classification of Diseases under code R11.16. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted it for U.S. clinicians shortly after. This new code finally gives medical professionals the ability to formally document a condition that many chronic marijuana users never believed could affect them.
According to UW Medicine, CHS typically begins within 24 hours of cannabis consumption and can last for days. Many patients experience three or four brutal episodes a year cycles of vomiting and abdominal pain so severe they repeatedly land in emergency rooms. Despite this, many chronic marijuana users initially deny cannabis could be the cause, having long been told marijuana reduces nausea.
Dr. Chris Buresh of UW Medicine explains that even long-time users who never experienced problems before can suddenly become vulnerable. Once a threshold is crossed, even small amounts of chronic marijuana use may trigger the syndrome.
Researchers still can’t explain why some people develop CHS while others don’t, but high THC potency, widespread access, and industrialized production appear to be key factors. This raises serious questions about how chronic marijuana exposure affects the body, especially when products are far stronger than previous decades.
Symptoms are so intense that standard anti-nausea medications often fail, forcing doctors to use drugs like Haldol—typically reserved for psychosis. Some patients find temporary relief through extremely hot showers or capsaicin cream, highlighting the desperation caused by chronic marijuana related CHS episodes.
The financial toll is equally alarming. Many patients rack up multiple ER visits before receiving a correct diagnosis, placing strain on hospitals, insurers, and taxpayers. With the new ICD-10 code, researchers can now track the true magnitude of CHS, providing hard data on the consequences of chronic marijuana use.
Politically, the issue is uncomfortable. Admitting that chronic marijuana consumption can cause severe health problems challenges years of pro-legalization messaging. As Washington’s cannabis market grows stronger and more commercialized, state leaders must confront the reality that not all health risks can be dismissed as exaggeration.
Washington doesn’t need prohibition but it does need honesty, safety standards, and real public-health oversight. The rise of CHS shows that chronic marijuana use is not without consequences, and it’s time for policymakers to acknowledge what doctors have been seeing for years.