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Between 2016 and 2023, emergency department (ED) visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) among adolescents aged 13 to 21 years rose significantly with an overall annual increase of 49%, as published in JAMA Network Open. The rate grew from 160.4 to 1,968.3 cases per 1 million ED visits over the study period. Out of 4,571 cases sampled, 27 patients were hospitalized with intensive care. States with recreational cannabis legalization had higher CHS encounter rates overall—1,909.5 versus 834.0 per 1 million ED visits—yet the annual rate of increase was greater in nonlegalizing states (49.3%) compared to legalizing states (32.5%). While legalization status influenced the number of encounters, rising rates in both groups suggest there are more factors driving the cannabis trend in kids and young adults.
Everyone’s doing it: In 2022, 30.7% of 12th graders reported using cannabis in the past year, and 6.3% reported using cannabis daily in the past 30 days. A surprising number of middle and high school students reported past-year cannabis vaping in 2022: 6% of eighth graders; 15% of 10th graders; and 21% of 12th graders. It’s concerning because cannabis use has been linked to impaired driving, mental health issues, and risk for addiction, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more about cannabis hyperemesis syndrome from the JUCM archive: Emesis Ad Nauseum: A Case Report of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in Urgent Care