# Mysterious illness tied to marijuana use on the rise in states with legal weed



## Grower13 (Jan 1, 2017)

By                         Jonathan LaPook                                                                                    CBS News                     December 28, 2016, 6:59 PM

*NEW YORK --* For more than two years, Lance Crowder was  having severe abdominal pain and vomiting, and no local doctor could  figure out why. Finally, an emergency room physician in Indianapolis had  an idea.
The first question he asked was if I was taking hot showers to find  relief. When he asked me that question, I basically fell into tears  because I knew he had an answer, Crowder said.
The answer was cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. Its caused by heavy, long-term use of various forms of marijuana. For unclear reasons, the nausea and vomiting are relieved by hot showers or baths.
Theyll  often present to the emergency department three, four, five different  times before we can sort this out, said Dr. Kennon Heard, an emergency  room physician at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora,  Colorado.
He co-authored a study  showing that since 2009, when medical marijuana became widely  available, emergency room visits diagnoses for CHS in two Colorado  hospitals nearly doubled. In 2012, the state legalized recreational  marijuana.
It is certainly something that, before legalization, we almost never saw, Heard said. Now we are seeing it quite frequently.
Outside  of Colorado, when patients do end up in an emergency room, the  diagnosis is often missed. Partly because doctors dont know about CHS,  and partly because patients dont want to admit to using a substance  thats illegal.
CHS  can lead to dehydration and kidney failure, but usually resolves within  days of stopping drug use. Thats what happened with Crowder, who has  been off all forms of marijuana for seven months.
Now all kinds  of ambition has come back. I desire so much more in life and, at 37  years old, its a little late to do it, but better now than never,he  said.
CHS has only been recognized for about the past decade, and  nobody knows exactly how many people suffer from it. But as more states  move towards the legalization of marijuana, emergency room physicians  like Dr. Heard are eager to make sure both doctors and patients have CHS  on their radar.
       	                                                            © 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mysteri...na-use-on-the-rise-in-states-with-legal-weed/


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## Rosebud (Jan 1, 2017)

I read that last week and thought how funny that the oncologist that spoke about cancer and cannabis said we are all walking around with cannabinoid DEFICIENCY... We have a cannabinoid system...Why? we should all be using it.


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## Kraven (Jan 5, 2017)

My medical mind says what they are suffering from is the complex fluorocarbons that are used to make concentrates and edibles....as long as your smoking flowers I don't ever think this could be a problem. This is the bodys normal response to the complex carbon chain compounds we are not adapted to handle so yes, as it builds up in tissues over time I can see where this would be a reasonable problem for anyone using a product that has been chemically striped to get to the desired compounds. Hence I try to stick with flowers.....seems to have worked for over 6000 years and no problems yet.....just when we start processing the plant.


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## WeedHopper (Jan 5, 2017)

Ive been smoking and doing edibles/brownies for over 40 yrs. I call it bullshit to demonize weed.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 5, 2017)

I am a bit suspicious of this report, too.  This guy co-authored a "study" about this.  I am wondering if he is just trying to make his study relevant...I am also curious about his opinion of cannabis in general.  Something tells me that he might be part of the Reefer madness crowd.


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## Rosebud (Jan 5, 2017)

Don't ya love a mysterious illness that is fixed with a hot bath????


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 6, 2017)

Yeah, the hot bath thing is weird isn't it?


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## Kraven (Jan 6, 2017)

~Giggle~

Don't scoff....my Gulf War Illness has the same symptoms and a hot shower works every-time lol


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