Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is typically described as a debilitating but non-fatal condition characterized by recurrent nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, and abdominal pain in people with long-term heavy cannabis use. However, there are documented cases – both in medical literature and shared in patient communities – where complications of CHS have contributed to severe health outcomes, including death.

Have People Died From CHS?

Several individuals in online CHS communities have shared heartbreaking accounts of loved ones who died after prolonged or severe CHS episodes. In one widely discussed case, a parent reported that her 38-year-old son’s death was attributed on his death certificate to cardiac arrest related to CHS, with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance cited as likely contributing factors. Members described long periods of vomiting, dehydration, and strain on the body preceding his death. Reddit

Other community posts recount similarly tragic experiences, including reports of cardiac arrest or fatal complications occurring in people struggling with ongoing CHS symptoms. While these individual reports cannot be independently verified here, they reflect the lived fears and outcomes shared by some community members. Reddit

It’s important to note that these are anecdotal accounts, not clinical case reports, but they highlight why many patients and caregivers take the risk of severe complications seriously.

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What Medical Research Says About Risk and Fatality

In the clinical literature, fatal outcomes directly attributable to CHS are rare but documented. Case reports published in medical journals describe individuals with cyclical vomiting who experienced fatal complications such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. These reports emphasize that the cause of death is not cannabis itself, but severe, protracted vomiting and its effects on the body. PubMed

Other reviews summarizing outcomes from CHS note that complications of persistent vomiting – including dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, kidney injury, and heart rhythm disturbances – can be serious and potentially life-threatening if not treated promptly. National Geographic

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Why These Outcomes Occur

If someone with CHS experiences prolonged vomiting without adequate fluid and electrolyte replacement, the body can enter a dangerous state of:

• Severe dehydration, reducing blood volume
• Electrolyte imbalances, affecting heart and kidney function
• Metabolic disturbances, complicating normal cellular processes

These physiological stresses – particularly without medical intervention – can result in complications such as cardiac arrest or organ failure in rare cases. Welly

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What This Means for Patients and Caregivers

A few takeaways from the clinical evidence and community reports:

• Deaths directly caused by CHS are rare, but they do occur and are generally linked to secondary complications, not the cannabis itself. PubMed
• Prompt medical care for dehydration and electrolyte imbalance is essential.
• Cessation of cannabis use is the only known way to prevent recurrence of CHS symptoms. JAMA Network
• Community-shared experiences, while not clinical evidence, underscore the lived reality of risk that many people with CHS describe.

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A Note on Reporting and Awareness

Because CHS is often underdiagnosed and can mimic other gastrointestinal disorders, many severe cases may go unrecognized or be attributed to other causes. As recognition of CHS grows among clinicians and researchers, more accurate tracking of outcomes – including rare fatal complications – will help inform both patients and providers.

For a thorough clinical overview of CHS symptoms, diagnosis, and management, see our main Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) page.

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See the research below, courtesy of Elicit