Most people who use cannabis every day have never heard of CHS symptoms, yet the condition is far more common than anyone realised. A major 2025 survey of over 7,000 US adults found that nearly one in five daily cannabis users report experiencing them. That works out to roughly 7 million Americans, and the numbers are hard to ignore.

What Are CHS Symptoms?

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is a condition marked by recurring episodes of severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It affects people who use cannabis heavily over a long period. First identified in 2004, it remains poorly understood by the public and, troublingly, by many in the medical profession.

One of the more unusual features of CHS symptoms is that sufferers often find relief by taking hot baths or showers. Around half of those with a CHS profile in the survey reported this type of relief. Stopping cannabis use altogether appears to be the only way to prevent future episodes.

Scientists believe long-term, high-frequency cannabis exposure gradually disrupts the brain’s vomiting control system. Cannabis can reduce nausea in small doses. With sustained heavy use, however, the opposite effect takes hold.

The Scale of the Problem

The 2025 survey found that 15.2% of US adults reported a period of daily cannabis use in the past five years. That represents more than 40 million people. Of those daily users, 17.8% reported severe nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain consistent with CHS symptoms. Nationally, that is a prevalence rate of around 2.7%.

What makes these figures particularly concerning is the diagnosis gap. Only 11.5% of those whose symptoms matched a CHS profile had ever received a formal diagnosis from a doctor. The vast majority are suffering without knowing why.

This is not simply about people avoiding medical care. The diagnosis itself is genuinely difficult to make. No universally agreed criteria for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome currently exist. Many diagnostic frameworks require patients to have stopped cannabis use for an extended period before a diagnosis is confirmed. That is something many people are either unwilling or unable to do. As a result, doctors frequently miss the condition even when patients do seek help.

Who Gets CHS Symptoms?

The survey findings point clearly to who faces the greatest risk. Compared to daily cannabis users without CHS symptoms, those with them were younger, more likely to be female, more likely to be from a non-White background, lower income, and less educated.

They were also far more likely to show signs of cannabis use disorder. Many continued using despite knowing it caused them harm, devoting large amounts of time to obtaining and using cannabis. Basic responsibilities suffered as a result, with many failing to meet commitments that others take for granted.

Over 40% of those with CHS symptoms reported using cannabis within one hour of waking. Nearly a quarter reported being intoxicated for seven or more hours on days they used. These are not casual users dealing with mild side effects. They are a group with deeply entrenched patterns of use and compounding health challenges.

CHS Is Rising

Cannabis use has grown substantially in recent years. Heavy daily use has grown faster still, increasing by an estimated 269% between 2008 and 2022 in the US. In October 2025, the World Health Organisation officially assigned cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome its own diagnostic code for the first time. That is a formal recognition that the condition is real, distinct, and needs proper monitoring.

As cannabis becomes more available, more potent, and more normalised, CHS symptoms are likely to become more common. The gap between those experiencing the condition and those receiving a diagnosis is already vast. Without greater awareness among the public and healthcare providers, that gap will only grow.

Cannabis is not without serious consequences for a significant number of those who use it daily. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is one of those consequences, and the data make that impossible to dismiss.

Source: thedrugreport