Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) and Janea Cox watch the medical marijuana vote in the Georgia House of Representatives (Photo: Stephen Boissy, WXIA)

In a huge step for the south, Georgia successfully passed HB1 to allow for medical marijuana in the state. On top of that, state governor Nathan Deal has confirmed that he will indeed sign off on the bill in the next week. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) dubbed the measure "the Haleigh's Hope Act" after five year old Haleigh Cox, who struggles daily with sever seizures. The bill will allow for eight kinds of serious illnesses to be treated with the use of cannabis oils. 

For many of the families, known as "medical refugees", who left Georgia for states like Colorado to find treatment for their loved ones, the passing of HB1 is huge success. "To come home to this is just amazing. It's a huge weight off our shoulders that we don't have to stay in Colorado another year to wait for legislation to pass. So it's giving my husband and I a chance to be a family again," Haleigh's mother Janea Cox stated.

11Alive.com did a two minute interview with Bill champion Allen Peake about the passing of the bill, which you can view by clicking the link below. 

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/25/georgia-politics-medical-marijuana/70453736/

Time Magazine reported yesterday on the new agreement that has given The University of Mississippi almost $70 Million dollars to continue growing and analyzing marijuana at the Natural Products Lab. The facility has been the only grower of federally legal marijuana in the country since 1968 and even has a program that supplies a select group of patients with significant amounts of cannabis, usually in the form of pre-rolled joints, every month, and has been doing so for decades. This of course is all taking place at a time when the federal government still classifies marijuana as one of the most dangerous drugs in the world, on par with herion and LSD, with no medical value. What??

The money was awarded Monday by a branch of the National Institutes of Health and is expected to bring production up 30,000 plants, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

From Time: 

The government said it’s interested in developing new methods for growing plants that contain a variety of different levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical most responsible for pot’s psychological “high” effect, and cannabidiol, a nonpychoactive ingredient claimed in high-profile anecdotes to effectively treat medical disorders like epilepsy.
When the contract solicitation was posted online in August, NIDA spokeswoman Shirley Simson told TIME that the agency was simply starting a new bidding competition since its existing marijuana farm contract was set to expire in 2015.

As it stands now, almost half of all of the states in the U.S. allow for the use of medical marijuana and 4 states that have legalized it out right, with several others expected to follow in the coming years. 

Mississippi may see itself among the ranks with those listed above. Already the state has Mississippi House Bill 1231 or "The Harper Grace Bill" which allows for the extraction of cannabidiol from marijuana for medical purposes. Back in June of 2014, we sat down for a podcast with Senator Josh Harkins who helped create and pass the bill, as well as the mother of the girl whom the bill is named after, Ashley Durval. You can listen to it below which was recorded in the Supreme Court Chamber at the capital in Jackson (Video 1 of 2). 

Now, Mississippi also has a dedicated group who is seeking to legalize marijuana and hemp production, headed by activist Kelly Jacobs, who also agreed to a podcast with Coastal Noise back in January of this year. You can hear that interview below as well (Video 2 of 2). 

CNP #33-Senator Josh Harkins, Ashley Durval 

CNP #43-Kelly Jacobs

Last week, I recorded Coastal Noise Podcast #45 with musician Diggs Darcey, Johnny Cole of The Southland Music Line, and musician and band mate Eddie Dixon. We talked a lot about local music and venues (as we did in CNP #44 as well), but man oh man, do I wish I had thought to bring these guys up. I discovered Maximum The Hormone about a year ago when I watched a music video they did that, by all appearances, seemed to be nothing more than a cheesy, pop tune made for radio, with the band singing a happy-go-lucky ditty in a beautiful park on a sunny day. This went on for about two and a half minutes, making me question why this video was susposedly so "crazy" as commentors had lead me to believe...And that's things got weird. Really Weird. Before I knew it, the guitarist was laying down a crunchy riff that exploded into the entire band playing in front of a sea of millions of raging people, the bass player floating in a meditative stance as the entire group chanted the first verses, an explosive refrain, followed by pregnant women in gas masks dancing to hip-hop infused lyrics. What the hell did I just watch? 

The best part about all this? I freggin loved it. The music was insanely good. Every member (don't be fooled by their chick drummer) was incredibly skilled at their respective role, with all of them rotating lead vocal responsibilities at times. Their music incorporates all kinds of genres, tempo shifts, and emotional pulls...sometimes all happening within one song! Damn near every video I have watched of theirs has been super imaginative, captivating, and, above all, weird as shit. They are like a cross between Tool and System Of A Down, but arguably weirder, if you can believe such a thing. This is what happens when you take a group of talented musicians and put them on a giant island with a culture that dates back thousands of years and focuses on dedication and intense attention to detail. 

These guys are huge in their home country, and have even had success in other places around the world. Who cares if you don't know how to speak Japanese. It has not stopped me from listening to their music (exclusively through music videos, as buying a CD apparently means paying extra to have them imported from Japan) over and over again. Seriously, this group is one of the best bands I've discovered in the past year. They are a relief among all the candy pop radio tunes that have caused me to turn my radio off for the last eight years because everything is so temporary. Hits that people are all about one week become replaced and, shortly after, totally irrelevant as a new, catchier song takes it place. 

That being said, this group will of course not be for everyone. This is metal. It is designed to melt your face and rattle your brain. No, I don't listen to this type of music all the time, but I have mad respect for the genre, as it gives zero fucks and continues to rebel against establishment, money, and all around, dumb ass music. 

Phew, I'm glade I got that off my chest. 

So, without further adieu, here are three videos from Maximum The Hormone. 

"マキシマム ザ ホルモン "え・い・り・あ・ん - ALIEN"

This is the newest video I found last week. It starts off like a seemingly normal, bad ass live performance, but it isn't long before the guitarist is glowing, extra body parts begin projecting from all the band members, multiple heads provide backing vocals and....well, let's just say that if you can guess how this video ends I will buy you a steak dinner. 

"小さな君の手～ - Your Little Hands"

This is the first video I ever saw of Maximum The Hormone. It's basically brilliant. Don't skip ahead to where the "real" video starts. Just enjoy the weirdness and consider the fact that this guys actually when through the trouble of writing an actually good pop song and then directing a music video around it before demolishing it with a way, way heavier track that mocks the very type of music they just made themselves. At over 7 million views and counting, people all around the world are taking notice of their unusual sense of delivery. (Check out the guitarist's Tool shirt)

"Koi No Mega Lover"

This one bounces from catchy rock anthem vibes and classic metal noise. Throw in some dancers that jerk around like a the undead and some house party madness and you've got pretty interesting video. If you made it through all three of these video posts, don't be shy to see what else the group has out there. You won't be disappointed...just a little weirdid out maybe... 

Stefan