Severe Vomiting Syndrome Linked to Chronic Pot Use
March 25th, 2009 by Rick
Leave it to Fox News to report on a seemingly negative aspect of the marijuana plant. Of all the stories to drudge up and rekindle, this ”fair and balanced” organization chooses to report on a vomiting syndrome linked to chronic pot use. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis was originally first recognized in Australia in 2004 but apparently now according to a study published in the March issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Warning: PDF), US researchers have come across a new case of a 22-year old man from Omaha, Nebraska that exhibited the same symptoms.
Symptoms include “nausea, stomach pain, and severe vomiting.” Sufferers report the only way to get some relief is from taking a “hot bath or shower.” These are also symptoms of alcohol abuse as well as side affects from certain prescribed pills that are taken to alleviate other problems. Anything taken chronically can affect the human body. Does this make the plant unusable? The curious thing is there are studies that claim that marijuana has helped with nausea and have even helped cancer patients gain appetites to eat. The plant itself, minus the medicinal properties, holds a variety of uses.
I’m sure there are chronic smokers out there that do not have these symptoms. While the plant can be used for medicinal purposes there are people out there that use it as a recreational drug, who are otherwise healthy. My question is just how far did this study research? If it originated in Australia, were all the people connected by a certain strain of marijuana? It’s not unfeasible to think that a strain of marijuana came from Australia and made it’s way into Nebraska. Did the 22-year old ever visit Australia?
Sometimes these studies and research have tunnel vision, let’s just hope they ruled out all possible factors before they decided to say that chronic marijuana use can cause sickness in some smokers. The truth is, marijuana seems to affect everyone differently whether it leads to sickness, euphoria, paranoia, agoraphobia or whatever — most that know will say, that despite all the controversy, it’s an amazing plant.
[img via Tinm@n on flickr]
