Weed smokers from around the world have described the brutal reality of a side effect known as 'scromiting', which has just been recognised by the World Health Organisation.
Drug users usually know the risks when taking substances, and weed is certainly one of the more vanilla options out there, especially given its legality in a number of US states and its use in the world of medicine.
While it has been linked to cognitive decline, this is often only when over-consumed, which is often where problems begin when it comes to drugs.
But a side effect dubbed 'scromiting', which is also known as CHS or cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, may well put you off for life, as weed users open up about what it actually feels like to go through.
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The word scromiting sounds unfortunate enough already before you realise that it is a mix of screaming and vomiting, and that's essentially what happens to folks who suffer from it after chronic cannabis use.
It is becoming more and more common among weed smokers to the extent where the World Health Organisation has now recognised it as an official diagnosis.
Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said: “It helps us count and monitor these cases. In studying addiction and other public health concerns, we have three sources of data: what clinicians tell us, what people in the communities tell us, and what health records tell us.
“A new code for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome will supply important hard evidence on cannabis-adverse events, which physicians tell us is a growing problem.”
Several people on social media have come forward to share their harrowing experiences of the condition, which can often be mistaken for the flu or food poisoning, with very few treatment options available at this time.
'Some of the worst physical pain I’ve ever experienced in my life'
One mum on TikTok described the pain as worse than childbirth, pointing at her son in the video and saying: “This s**t’s wild, it’s some of the worst physical pain I’ve ever experienced in my life, and I birthed him, a 9-pound baby.
“I was crying and screaming, like I can’t take this anymore, I’m just begging God, please make it stop."
'I almost died from it'
Another user, who said she was smoking three to four times a day for more than four years, said: “I almost died from it, I couldn’t eat or drink for a week. I was throwing up 24/7.
She said it took her a long time to connect her condition to smoking weed.
“I threw up at first, and I continued to smoke, threw up again, continued to smoke,” she said in another video.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, bathing in hot water can relieve symptoms, but the only way to get rid of CHS is to give up smoking weed completely.
A third user added: “Smoking nearly killed me. The only thing to stop the reoccurring sickness is you have to stop smoking.”
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
James Moorhouse