Boy, 17, died from health condition linked to marijuana that causes severe ... trends now
Brian Smith suffered from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) and died at the age of 17
Doctors have reported rising cases of a rare but fatal condition linked to significant marijuana use, which causes intense vomiting, dehydration and abdominal pain.
Daily marijuana smokers are at risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), which researchers warn could become more common as marijuana becomes increasingly legal. It can be used recreationally in 22 US states.
Brian Smith, 17, died in Indiana in October 2018 from dehydration due to CHS.
Smith is one of four known deaths linked to CHS - the others are a 27-year-old female, a 27-year-old male, and a 31-year.
However, there are numerous cases of people with the condition being hospitalized for weeks.
One woman from Boston, who deemed herself an 'Olympic smoker', spent more than two weeks in the hospital.
ER doctor Sam Torbati said CHS is a 'relatively unique condition that we see with patients who use relatively large amounts of marijuana - at least 20 times in a month.
'Patients who suffer from this condition have recurrent bouts of vomiting and abdominal pain.
'They're terrifically symptomatic and can get very sick.'
CHS is a rare illness that comes as a result of chronic and prolonged usage of cannabis. Symptoms of CHS include extreme vomiting, nausea, dehydration, stomach pain and death in rare cases.
In the brain, marijuana often helps to prevent nausea and vomiting. However, in the digestive tract, marijuana has the opposite effect and makes nausea and vomiting more likely to occur.
Some doctors believe CHS is due to overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system, a network of receptors in the body that respond to compounds in cannabis.
Dr Torbati said he has seen increasing CHS cases at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
Marijuana can be used recreationally in 22 US states
Some doctors believe CHS is due to overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system, which is a network of receptors in the body that respond to compounds in cannabis
But diagnosing the condition is difficult.
Dr Torbati said: 'There's no test that we can do. There's no blood test. It doesn't show up on a CAT scan. I can't really show you an image to say, this is what CHS looks like.
Mr Smith, who died in 2018 from CHS, first went to the hospital with his mother, Regina Denney, to complain about severe vomiting and abdominal pain and, at the time, had lost about 30 pounds in a single month.
His mother, Regina Denney, told ABC News: 'The first time I noticed the vomiting was April 7. He was vomiting so much that he said he felt tingling in his face and hands.'
She said: 'The doctors took Brian ahead of me. I came in, and he had IVs in both arms; he was on oxygen. They said that the muscle contraction was an anxiety attack from the vomiting.
'They
