Hospitalizations due to regular cannabis use could be driving up costs and stays for hospitals in Massachusetts, according to a new, small study out of Tufts Medical Center.
The research published in May looked at a cannabis-induced condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which causes episodic vomiting in regular and long-term cannabis consumers.
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The study found that hospitalizations for that condition, as well as the cost of caring for these patients, increased at Tufts Medical Center following the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2016.
The study looked at all admissions to Tufts Medical Center between 2012 and 2021 and was selective to only analyze patients who had a diagnosis of cannabis abuse or dependence and who were admitted to the hospital with vomiting, according to Dr. Sushrut Jangi, a gastroenterologist at Tufts Medical Center who led the study.
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“Since legalization in Massachusetts, there's potentially been a lot of changes to the way people are using cannabis, and potentially, it may be affecting their susceptibility to certain symptoms or syndromes,” he said.
Researchers found around 10,000 patients who had a diagnosis of cannabis use or dependence. About 500 of them were admitted to the hospital with vomiting. But the study only analyzed 72 of these patients because they wanted to be confident that the patients' vomiting was caused by CHS, and not something else, according to Jangi.
