Post: Daily cannabis use linked to public health burden

by George Washington University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers at the George Washington University say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.

"This is one of the first large studies to examine the burden of disease associated with this cannabis-linked syndrome," says Andrew Meltzer, professor of emergency medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences and lead author of the study. "Our findings suggest that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome could represent a costly and largely hidden public health problem."

While the exact prevalence of the condition is unknown, many experts say that the condition is on the rise as the number of daily or near daily users of cannabis has increased in the U.S.

To assess the burden of disease, Meltzer and his colleagues conducted a survey of 1,052 people who reported suffering from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The researchers asked questions about frequency of use, duration of the habit, the age they started using the drug, and need for emergency department or hospital care. Key findings of the study: 85% reported at least one emergency department visit and 44% reported at least one hospitalization associated with the hyperemesis symptoms.

Early age of cannabis initiation was associated with higher odds of emergency department visits.

Daily use of cannabis before the onset of the syndrome was nearly universal, with over 40% of respondents reporting they used marijuana more than five times a day.

Prolonged use was common with 44% reporting using regularly for more than five years before onset of syndrome.

The new research suggests that the condition may impose a heavy burden on individuals who suffer from it as it often results in pain, vomiting and costly trips to the hospital. Emergency room doctors can stabilize the patient and help alleviate the acute symptoms but the only known way to stop the […]

Daily cannabis use linked to public health burden