As a physician who has long sounded the alarm about over-normalizing cannabis, I read the recent announcement with both sadness and renewed resolve. According to a report from World Health Organization (WHO), a dangerous condition linked to long-term marijuana use—Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS)—now has its own diagnostic code, as U.S. doctors adopt the classification, and emergency-room cases have surged dramatically in recent years.

What follows is my heartfelt reaction to this development and a plea to parents, to families, and to anyone who still thinks cannabis is harmless.

CHS is a paradoxical and deeply painful syndrome: Sometimes the exact opposite of what is expected—instead of easing nausea and easing stomach discomfort, chronic cannabis use causes some individuals to suffer repeated, debilitating cycles of nausea, abdominal pain, and violent vomiting.

• For many, symptoms begin after years of daily or near-daily use—often manifesting several years into long-term exposure.
• The vomiting can be terrifyingly relentless—some report vomiting multiple times an hour, lasting for hours or even days.
• Some sufferers describe “scromiting,” a horrifying combo of screaming and vomiting driven by excruciating abdominal pain.
• Relief is often temporary and unusual: many find only brief comfort in hot baths or showers, or with the skin-warming effect of capsaicin cream—while traditional anti-nausea medications frequently fail.

Until now, CHS often went unrecognized. Many cases were misdiagnosed as generic gastrointestinal illness, cyclical vomiting syndrome, or dismissed entirely, meaning patients were left suffering in silence, often unaware the cause was their cannabis use.

With the WHO’s new diagnostic code—now adopted by U.S. clinicians—we finally have a tool to name and track a condition that has grown alongside America’s expanding legalization and normalization of marijuana. This is a critical step toward awareness, research, and prevention.

At Sanctuary Clinics, I have treated multiple young adults whose lives were derailed not by psychosis or addiction alone, but by relentless physical illness tied to long-term cannabis use. Many assumed such extreme complications were impossible.

But the truth is stark: as cannabis becomes more potent, more accessible, and more socially accepted, its long-term consequences remain hidden—until they explode in the most unpredictable and medically urgent ways. The rise in CHS reflects not just rare outliers, but a growing pattern that cries out for public awareness, especially among parents of teens and young adults.

It’s a reminder: cannabis is not benign. It may be legal. It may be normalized. But underlying that veneer lies a serious public health risk, especially for young, frequent users whose brains and bodies are still developing.

To the parent whose child woke up in the middle of the night, doubled over with nausea and unable to stop vomiting. To the mother who rushed her college-aged son to the ER—only to be told she “must be exaggerating,” because “weed isn’t supposed to do that.” I see you. I grieve with you. This illness doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care whether your child is a “good kid” or a “bad kid,” a “casual user” or “social.” Any long-term, heavy exposure—especially with high-potency products common today—can trigger CHS. And many parents don’t even know to ask.

If your loved one is suffering, you are not alone. You are not to blame. What matters now is recognition, care, and the courage to act.

1. Learn the Red Flags

• Persistent nausea, especially in the morning
• Cyclical vomiting or retching, even after periods without use
• Abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, dehydration
• Unusual reliance on hot baths/showers for relief

2. Have Compassionate Conversations — Without Blame

• Ask open questions like: “How are you feeling lately, physically and emotionally?”
• Avoid shaming. Approach with concern, grace, and a willingness to help find answers.

3. Seek Medical Help — And Be Honest
Tell your physician about cannabis use. If vomiting is severe or recurrent, demand proper evaluation for CHS. Under the new coding system, it can and should be documented.

4. Consider Support and Recovery Options
For those with frequent use—or underlying addiction issues—professional guidance helps. Which brings me to what we do at Sanctuary Clinics.

At Sanctuary Clinics, our mission goes beyond addiction counseling. We believe in whole-person care—integrating medical treatment, mental health support, spiritual nurture, and long-term community.

If you or a loved one is facing the fallout of chronic cannabis use, physical illness like CHS, addiction, or emotional and spiritual disorientation, we invite you to come alongside us.

• Licensed medical staff will address physical health concerns, dehydration, nutritional issues, and help guide detox and stabilization.
• Mental-health clinicians provide therapy, support for trauma or emotional pain, and tools for coping without substances.
• Spiritual support offers healing for identity, purpose, relationships—pain is never just physical.
• Community living and our aftercare / alumni programs provide real accountability, encouragement, and continuity well past initial treatment.

We know that the road to recovery—especially from a substance so normalized as cannabis—can be dark, confusing, and painful. But we also know that there is hope. Real healing happens when we treat the whole person.

The recognition of CHS by the WHO is more than a medical update. It is a wake-up call. It is proof that cannabis—far from being harmless—can impose grave and unexpected risks.

If you are reading this and worrying about a teen, young adult, or loved one, don’t wait. Don’t assume “it’s just a phase” or “he’ll outgrow it.” Reach out, ask questions, seek help.

If you want to talk through your concerns or explore treatment, recovery, or guidance, I encourage you to call and speak with one of our care guides at Sanctuary Clinics.

You are not alone. Help is available. Hope remains.

In compassion, concern, and prayer,
Dr. Sesi Akoto
Medical Coordinator, Sanctuary Clinics