This woman is called ‘Marijuana Pepsi’ and her name has made her unfit for jobs

A woman has been facing all kinds of obstacles in life because she has been named Marijuana Pepsi from birth, however, she has decided never to change her name.

Ironically, the 52-year-old woman does not drink fizzy drinks, or alcohol or smoke weed, as reported by The New York Post.

Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck was named by her mother who had claimed that this name would "take her around the world" because of its originality.

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Marijuana said that as she grew up she faced questions about the moniker and some even assumed that her mother took drugs or had been imprisoned, which was not true.

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Marijuana completed her PhD in Higher Educational Leadership and works at Community College of Baltimore County. She is also the founder of Action as Empowerment Center for Change.

The woman has often been asked why she did not consider changing her name or has been asked to change it.

Marijuana's job challenge

Marijuana said that a lot of job applications submitted by her have been declined because of her name and some have even said that she shouldn't be permitted to work in education.

She has never smoked weed but gets approached by marijuana companies “all the time” who ask to work with her.

Marijuana, who stays close to Live Oak, Florida, said, “Classmates and even teachers would whisper and come up to me asking if it was my real name."

“I would overhear people speculating if my mother was a ‘crackhead’ – I still have people say that to this day. When people find out my name, they ask for my nickname instead. I tell them if calling me Marijuana isn’t comfortable, they can call me Dr Vandyck," she said.

“I always knew I would get a PhD as I’ve dedicated my life to education – and I thought if people would be calling me Marijuana Pepsi, I’ll be Dr Marijuana Pepsi," Marijuana further stated.

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“It’s my superpower because I don’t have to live within the expectations of others – people think things about me based on my name but I define success on my own terms," she stated.

The woman said she is not ashamed of her name, although it makes others uncomfortable.

"I won’t answer to a different name to appease someone who is clearly in their head about what they think it means to call me my own name. It’s a problem, but it’s not my problem," Marijuana said.

“People don’t believe me when I say I’ve never smoked weed – because ‘there’s no way someone called Marijuana isn’t a smoker’. I do get hit up by marijuana companies, but I wouldn’t do anything with them unless it was centred around education. I just get high on life," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)