Lead Stories
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On May 6 three appellants appeared before Canada’s supreme court to challenge drug convictions by arguing for the decriminalization of marijuana possession; two chose to have lawyers represent them, but David Malmo-Levine, longtime publisher of Potshots magazine, spoke for himself. He waved hello to the justices and then addressed them for 40 minutes, explaining that his “substance orientation,” like sexual orientation, shouldn’t be discriminated against in law. Afterward he told reporters that his entire outfit was made of hemp, and that he had taken a few hits of hashish before speaking. Said Malmo-Levine, “I was happy, hungry and relaxed, but I was not impaired.”
In York, Pennsylvania, trial is nearing for Matthew Turner, 22, who was arrested in August after allegedly stabbing a man and pursuing him through town on foot, a knife in each hand, because he wanted to harvest one of the man’s adrenal glands–Turner was convinced it would bring on a weeklong high if licked or eaten.
People Different From Us
On April 30, Microsoft’s British division announced it was developing the iLoo–a portable outhouse equipped with an Internet-ready computer and plasma screen, to be unveiled for the summer festival season. Microsoft’s stateside headquarters promptly told reporters the announcement had been a hoax; after consulting further with the British division, though, HQ conceded that the iLoo had been a real project but insisted it was being discontinued.
