From hunger pangs to anxiety, cannabis is known to be associated with a range of side effects.
But one cannabis smoker in the US experienced a rather unusual side effect linked to his habit - prolonged erections.
The 32-year-old man, who is unnamed, visited A&E after experiencing persistent erections not related to sexual activity, including one that lasted for 12 hours.
These types of erections, known as priapism, can be painful, and are caused by blood getting trapped in the penis.
In his case report, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research , his doctors explained: “He admitted to smoking cannabis several nights per week for the past six months, including within the two hour period prior to each presenting episode of priapism.”
Speaking to the patient, the researchers discovered that he had smoked cannabis at age 16 and 17, during which time he experienced prolonged erections least for four hours.
He then quit cannabis use in his twenties, and as a result did not have any episodes of priapism.
Bizarrely, the doctors found that the man had no other medical history, and wasn’t on any medication, indicating that the cannabis was to blame.
The doctors wrote: “Cannabis use is a likely cause for priapism in our patient. He had no medical history other than mild hypertension, he took no medications, and used only cannabis, supported by his urinary drug screen.
“Further, his history exhibited a convincing correlation between his cannabis use and his episodes of recurrent priapism.”
While the reason for the link remains unclear, the researchers suggest that we could see a surge of similar cases.
They added: “Because cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, its link to priapism suggests it may soon become more prominent within the emergency department.”
