Priapism is a long-lasting, painful erection that can lead to permanent damage to the penis if not treated promptly.

A 32-year-old man is having a persistently hard time with cannabis and doctors aren’t sure why.

The unnamed patient was rushed to hospital recently after experiencing an erection that lasted more than 12 hours. He was treated and subsequently released only to return soon after suffering from the same issue.

His growing problem appears to be linked to cannabis use, doctors said, making him “the first known case of cannabis-associated priapism in a patient where all other known causes of priapism have been excluded,” according to The Sun.

Priapism is a long-lasting, painful erection that can lead to permanent damage to the penis if not treated promptly. It usually afflicts men 30 years of age or older.

“He admitted a history of cannabis use at age 16 and 17, during which time he had recurrent priapism lasting less than four hours and never requiring medical treatment,” doctors noted in the report, which has been documented in the Journal of Cannabis Research. “He quit cannabis use in his 20s, and during this period did not have any episodes of priapism.”

After an examination, doctors concluded that “the patient was mildly hypertensive with an erect, swollen and tender penis. The abstinence and subsequent use of cannabis were the only appreciable factors in this patient’s battle with recurrent, unwanted erections.”

Doctors had no clear answers for the phenomenon, but suspect that cannabinoids, such as THC, might be interfering with regulatory mechanisms that inform the body when it is time for an erection to end. Cannabis use also causes blood vessels to dilate, something that may have factored into his “unrelenting erection.”

They stressed the painful condition is no laughing matter and can lead to “damage to the penile tissue, with notable destruction obvious at 12 hours.” Over 90 percent of men that experience an erection that lasts longer than 24 hours can lose sexual function, sometimes permanently, they added.

Research into cannabis and sex is sorely lacking, but has generally focused on the improvements the drug can have on sex and not the repercussions of a never-ending erection. The man was referred to internal medicine specialists for further study, “however, he was lost to follow-up in this period,” the report noted.

Hopefully, he pops up soon.

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis? Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.