Marijuana is one of the most common drugs in the world and it comes from a special plant known as Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana has become commonly known by other names such as weed, pot, Mary Jane, ganja, grass, cannabis and many others. National Institute of Drug Abuse. 2013. What is marijuana?. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-marijuana. [Accessed 08 January 15]. It can have many side effects and the longer you use the drug the more damage it can cause. It contains THC which is the ingredient in the drug that makes you feel ‘high’. Effects caused by marijuana consist of: anxiety, moodiness, depression, paranoia, memory loss (short term), an increase in heart rate, dilated pupils, an increase in appetite and also it causes a slower reaction time for users. Although not all users get addicted to marijuana, studies have shown that almost 10% of users do get addicted. It often leads to users going on and using other more addictive drugs. So the question is, why would a drug with all these negative side effects be used as a pharmaceutical drug? WebMD. 2014. How does marijuana affect you? [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects. [Accessed 08 January 15]. Some countries have legalized marijuana for medical purpose such as Austria, Israel, Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, France and Finland. It is hard to get approval in Germany and Finland for medical marijuana