1. What is CHS?
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a condition that causes repeated vomiting and nausea in people who regularly use cannabis daily over a long period of time. Not everyone develops it; however, since cannabis has been legalized and commercialized in Oklahoma, the number of people who suffer from CHS is increasing at an alarming rate. In fact, the Institute of National Health published a study that estimated 2.75 million patients were treated at ERs for CHS from 2017 to 2021.
2. What are the symptoms of CHS?
3. How is CHS diagnosed?
4. How is CHS treated?
5. Is there any sort of pattern to the symptoms?
CHS happens in cycles:
a. Prodromal Stage – This is where the person begins to start feeling nauseous and has stomach pain throughout the day, lasting for weeks or months. If they continue to consume cannabis, then it worsens to the next stage.
b. Episodic Stage – At this point, the person begins to vomit violently for days and weeks. The term now being used is called “scromit”, because they scream and vomit at the same time due to the pain. At this point, the person cannot keep food or liquids down, and if not properly medically treated, they can suffer the problems we just mentioned. There are documented cases of people dying from this. It is important to stay hydrated and treat the nausea.
To make matters worse, when a person suffering at this stage goes to the ER and learns they have CHS and must immediately stop cannabis, that person will often be in denial because they have never heard of CHS, let alone want to stop because cannabis is beneficial for nausea. So basically, many people will continue to use cannabis until they get a second opinion or because the episodes are destroying their health.
c. Recovery Stage – Once a person receives proper medical attention, the symptoms will eventually subside, so long as they have stopped cannabis use.
d. Trigger Stage – During and after the Recovery Stage, there are numerous foods that you have to avoid, such as black pepper, broccoli, oregano, cinnamon, alcohol, and over 40 other foods. These are called trigger foods because certain foods trick the body into thinking they are cannabinoids. These foods will trigger another Episodic Stage, and the whole miserable cycle is repeated. It is suggested to avoid the trigger foods for at least 90 days, but there are people who will tell you they had problems for a year afterward.
6. What happens if CHS is NOT properly treated?
7. How long does a person have the CHS condition?
Once you develop CHS, it is permanent. You can NEVER consume any THC, or even CBD and Delta-9 products, without triggering another episode and repeating the cycle again. It’s similar to when a person gets a certain tick bite that causes a condition where they can never eat red meat for the rest of their life.
8. So why are all these folks developing CHS?
There are many reasons, but primarily since the legalization and commercialization of cannabis, consumers now have easy access to large amounts of cannabis products that contain very high levels of THC. Cannabis growers are competing to produce the highest levels of THC in their products because that is what consumers are demanding. Unfortunately, the consumer is not warned of the dangers of developing CHS with frequent use of those high-THC products. The growers are all well aware of CHS but still are not altering their sales approach for their products in any manner. Dispensaries are also not warning consumers.
Commercial production also means that some growers may be using pesticides, herbicides, and other products to enhance their crops. That certainly can be a contributing factor.
The problem is also compounded by the fact that once a person is in the Prodromal stage, they will continue to use cannabis because it is known to help nausea. So then, it’s just pouring fuel on the CHS fire until their body says enough, and they become Episodic.
9. So you have brought a lawsuit against the cannabis industry? Tell me about that.
a. First off, I want to say I am not anti-cannabis. I strongly support its use, as it has numerous beneficial uses for many health conditions. But that said, it needs to be sold and prescribed responsibly, like any other medication. And, of course, the consumer needs to be warned about CHS and to seek medical attention if nausea and stomach pain develop.
b. So the lawsuit is a product liability suit for their failure to warn consumers about these risks.
c. The suit will also seek damages for CHS sufferers who now have substantial medical bills and lost income, not to mention other damages that may have affected their life, such as permanent injuries due to CHS.
d. This is also filed as a class action, as I anticipate there will be many folks who suffer from this horrible condition and need to be compensated for their losses.
10. So how does a person who is interested in the lawsuit get more information?
a. By calling me at 918-477-7000
b. Or by going to CHSattorneys.com
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