Opinion
Sports
Editor recaps CSUFʼs top 20 sports moments of the year 6
State treasurer proposes radical concept – generating more funding for colleges 4
C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, F u l l e r t o n
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RAs reveal dorm stories
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Camp Titan hosts annual toy drive
Fall leaves
Charity event aims to generate 400 presents for children this year
have been collected, adding that the main goal is to beat last yearʼs donation, which totaled 325 gifts. She said usually those working at the Information and Services desk are the first people to bring in gifts for the drive, adding that their whole staff participates. “We encourage other departments to have their complete staff take part,” she said. Ben Kwak, an advertising major, said he wanted to do something to help out and is planning on bringing in a few gifts. “Itʼs something I can do at least once a year,” Kwak said. Gifts can be purchased for boy and girls ages 7 through 14. Alex Chung, the co-director of camper management at Camp Titan, said he
encourages students to participate. “I believe itʼs important to take time during the holiday season to do something nice for the community, which is a humbling experience,” Chung said. Chung, who has been involved with Camp Titan for two years, said that although not every underprivileged child in Orange County will receive a gift, Cal State Fullerton students “can bring a smile to a handful of children.” The gifts are to be turned in to the TSU Information and Services desk unwrapped with the nametag attached to it. On Dec.18 the gifts will be distributed at a holiday party for campers who were involved with Camp
PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court on Monday barred the Defense Department from withholding funds from colleges and universities that deny access to military recruiters. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals said a decade-old federal law which allows withholding the funds infringes on the free speech rights of schools that wish to limit on-campus recruiting in response to the militaryʼs ban on homosexuals. Ruling in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of more than a dozen law schools, a three-judge panel said the governmentʼs threat to withhold funding amounted to compelling the schools to take part in speech they didnʼt agree with. “The Solomon Amendment
requires law schools to express a message that is incompatible with their educational objectives,” the court wrote. By a 2-1 vote, the panel overturned an earlier decision by a federal judge that those challenging the law were unlikely to prevail at trial. The ruling affects all institutions of higher learning, but the case revolved around law schools because most had developed poli-
sick people who use homegrown cannabis with their doctorsʼ permission and their statesʼ approval. A defeat for the two California women might undermine laws passed by California and 10 other states and discourage other states from approving their own. A loss for the government, on the other hand, could jeopardize federal oversight of illegal drugs and raise questions in other areas such as product safety and environmental activities. A Bush administration lawyer told the justices they would be encouraging people to use potentially harmful marijuana if they were to side with the women. “If theyʼre right, then I think their analysis would extend to recreational use of marijuana, as well as medical use of marijuana, and would extend to every state in the nation, not just those states that
made it lawful,” said Paul Clement, acting solicitor general. Justice David H. Souter said an estimated 10 percent of people in America use illegal drugs, and states with medical marijuana laws might not be able to stop recreational users from taking advantage. Justice Stephen Breyer said the government makes a strong argument that as many as 100,000 sick people use marijuana in California, and “when we see medical marijuana in California, we wonʼt know what it is. Everybodyʼll say, ʻMine is medical.ʼ Certificates will circulate on the black market. We face a mess.” And Justice Antonin Scalia said there are many people with “alleged medical needs.” Despite the tenor of the debate, the case is hard to predict. The justices will rule before next summer.
The marijuana users won in the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that federal prosecution of medical marijuana users is unconstitutional if the pot is not sold, transported across state lines or used for nonmedicinal purposes. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the federal government has a stake in interstate commerce, but with the California medical marijuana patients: “Nobodyʼs buying anything. Nobodyʼs selling anything.” Her colleague, Justice Sandra Day OʼConnor, observed that homegrown medical marijuana never makes it to the interstate market. Conservatives like Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Clarence Thomas and Scalia generally have supported statesʼ rights to
By ASHLEE ANDRIDGE Daily Titan Staff
Some underprivileged children in Orange County are depending on the snowman in the lobby of the Titan Student Union for a joyful Christmas. The snowman, holding a basket of snowflakes with childrenʼs names and ages, is part of the Camp Titan Holiday Toy Drive. “Weʼd like to get around 400 gifts this year,” said Pamela Skawin, manager of Information and Services in the TSU. Skawin said that so far 45 gifts
Resident advisers share behind-thescenes experiences By ANNABELLE CARIAGA For the Daily Titan
“This is an emergency, please evacuate the building. Do not take the elevators,” announces an automatic voice system that echoes throughout the building as the fire alarm wails at around 2:30 a.m., waking up students in every suite of the on-campus apartments. Two resident advisers on duty scurry down every hallway, knocking on doors and directing residents to exit the building through the stairwells. Within minutes university police arrive to help deactivate the siren and investigate what caused it. This time, someone had blown out a candle and the smoke accidentally set off the alarm. Fifteen to 20 minutes later, RAs instruct everyone to go back to their warm and cozy beds. Responding to fire alarms is only one of the many duties of a resident adviser. There are currently 21 RAs for Cal State Fullertonʼs Housing and Residential Life and each RA is primarily in charge of between 36 and 48 students. With 800 students living in on-campus housing, the life of an RA is not always easy. “RAs are the frontline contact for students that live in the residence halls,” said Darlene Stevenson, director of housing. “They help determine the quality of life outside the classroom. They assist students in navigating their way outside CSUF.” Some of the responsibilities of being an RA include, but are not limited to providing guidance and support to residents, planning programs and socials, and enforcing rules and regulations. According to the CSU Fullerton Housing and Residence Life RA manual, this group of student leaders is required to have about DORM 3
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Campus recruiting limited Court allows denial of recruiters without loss of government funds The Associated Press
SIERRA WEBB/Daily Titan
Leaves fall over Cal State Fullerton during Thanksgiving break, littering the campus grounds. Winter is officially here. It’s time to take out the snowboards and head for the mountains.
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Medical marijuana clash reaches Supreme Court
State and federal governments discuss prosecution of smokers The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court questioned whether state medical marijuana laws might be abused by people who arenʼt really sick as it debated Monday whether the federal government can prosecute patients who smoke pot on doctorsʼ orders. The stakes are high on both the government level — 11 states have passed medical marijuana laws since 1996 — and the personal. In the courtroom watching the argument were Angel Raich, an Oakland, Calif., mother of two who said she tried dozens of prescription medicines to ease the pain of
a brain tumor before she turned to marijuana, and another ill woman, Diane Monson. They filed a lawsuit to protect their access to the drug after federal agents confiscated marijuana plants from Monsonʼs yard. Their attorney, Randy Barnett of Boston, told the justices his clients are law-abiding citizens who need marijuana to survive. “When people are sick and people are suffering and people are dying, they may be willing to run the risk of these long-term harms in order to get the immediate relief, the lifesaving relief that cannabis has demonstrably been able to provide,” he said. The justices refused three years ago to protect distributors of medical marijuana from federal anti-drug charges. They are confronting a more personal issue this time — the power of federal agents to go after
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Migrant workers risk lives, seek American dream Laborers face border struggles, low wages, limited opportunities By RYAN McKAY Daily Titan Asst. News Editor
SIERRA WEBB/Daily Titan
Jose Raul Gutierrez waits at the YMCA Children’s Immigration Shelter on Friday, Nov. 12, after being denied access into the United States. Gutierrez tried to enter the country by using a fake birth certificate.
Fifteen-year-old Jose Raul Gutierrez dreams of a better life, a life in which his prosperity isnʼt dictated by the size of that seasonʼs crop, a life in which he has a chance to move up. A life in which he can provide his family with the things many people take for granted. But mostly, he longs for the economic security his family lacks. Gutierrez said he is determined to find this better life, well aware that while pursuing this dream, he risks that very life he so deeply yearns to improve.
Sporting a T-shirt and faded blue jeans, the quiet and timid Gutierrez seems at ease in the hustling and boisterous Mexican border town of Tijuana. But this isnʼt his home. Gutierrez, who has no formal schooling, grew up working the fields and planting chilies. He said that while his family isnʼt starving like other Mexican families, it doesnʼt mean they have a good life. Itʼs this good life that Gutierrez said he seeks. Believing he will find opportunity in the form of plentiful employment in the United States, Gutierrez said he has made up his mind. Like many others in his shoes, he has decided to take his chances and cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, and at any cost. He is not alone. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Steven
McPartland said that in the San Diego Sector alone, over 550,000 people were arrested for crossing illegally – all within the 66-mile stretch his San Diego Sector patrols. He added that for every border scofflaw arrested, an estimated 10 to 20 others make it into the United States illegally. Like many drawn north, Gutierrez wants to get to the United States to make money. The incentive is a strong one. In the United States, most illegal immigrants can readily find work. Because these workers are unlikely to report labor-law violations in fear of deportation, they sometimes work under whatever terms their employers choose. This allows some employers to pay them less than minimum wage, sometimes under dangerous working conditions. This can be a boon to employers
willing to shrug labor laws. Despite sub-standard wages paid to many migrant workers, itʼs usually more than they can make at home. While a laborer in Mexico may make $5 a day, a migrant worker in the United States can make $20 or more a day. Getting to that money on the other side is the hard part. Tijuana – located just a few miles south of San Diegoʼs posh suburbs, this Mexican border city lies on one of the few stretches of land where the Third World meets the First. Like many other large cities on the U.S.-Mexico border, it serves as a gathering place for those seeking a portal from one world to the next. But migrants arenʼt the only ones who congregate at the borders. IMMIGRANT
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The Orange County Blood Services blood drive will take place today and Wednesday in the Quad from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donating blood is an easy and effective way to give back to the community, without parting with your hard-earned money. Everyone is asked to give. For more information, call (714) 278-7623.
Ukraine president says new vote possible KIEV, Ukraine — Facing a relentless tide of opposition protests, President Leonid Kuchma said Monday that a new election might be the only way out of a crisis that threatens to split this former Soviet republic into a pro-Russian east and a pro-Western rest of Ukraine. Kuchma warned that “we cannot in any instance allow the disintegration or division of Ukraine,” and Secretary of State Colin Powell said he had telephoned the Ukrainian president to express concern about reports of a possible splintering of the country.
If you sometimes felt the need to be the center of attention but donʼt want to be too obvious about it, ASI Productionsʼ Open Mic Tuesday in the Titan Student Union Pub might be right up your alley. Open Mic Tuesdays are any budding starʼs dream. Hey, they even have beer on tap to help participants with any performance anxiety they might experience. For more information, call (714) 278-2144.
More bodies recovered in China mine blast BEIJING — About 50 mine workers were confirmed dead and more than 100 still missing, the government said Tuesday, as toxic fumes unleashed from an explosion at a coal mine in central China slowed rescuers from entering the pit. The recovery of more than 20 additional bodies brought the number of confirmed dead in Sundayʼs blast in the Chenjiashan Coal Mine in the central province of Shaanxi to about 50, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the regular semester, free billiards play is offered to all CSUF students with valid CSUF identification. For more information, call (714) 278-2144.
Nation
The Titan womenʼs basketball team will face off against their counterparts from Loyola Marymount tonight at 7 p.m. in the Titan Gym. For tickets or information, call (714) 278-CSUF.
U.S. death toll in Iraq nears record WASHINGTON — The U.S. military death toll in Iraq rose by at least three Monday and the November total is approaching the highest for any month since the American-led invasion was launched in March 2003. At least 133 U.S. troops have died in Iraq so far this month — only the second time it has topped 100 in any month. The deadliest month was last April when 135 U.S. troops died as the insurgency flared in Sunni-dominated Fallujah, where dozens of U.S. troops died this month.
Bush picks Kellogg CEO for cabinet WASHINGTON — President Bush picked Carlos Gutierrez, the chief executive officer of cereal giant Kellogg Co., as commerce secretary Monday, working to build a new economic team to help sell second-term overhauls of Social Security and the tax code. The White House offered no promise of job security to Treasury Secretary John Snow, who has made clear he wants to remain.
Photo illustration by NICK ALLEN/Daily Titan
<Insert your caption here> The Daily Titan invites you to participate in a creative writing contest. Write a caption and title for the above photo and submit them to photo@dailytitan.com by Friday, Dec. 3. Put “Caption Contest” in the e-mail subject line, and include your full name and major. Look for more photos to caption throughout the week. Winners’ names and captions will be published in next Monday’s issue.
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Local Man kills estranged wife, her boyfriend SANTA ANA — A 52-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend outside a Mexican restaurant, police said. Breakfast customers at La Rancherita and Lindo Michoacan restaurants in the strip mall dove for cover under tables when the shooting erupted about 9:50 a.m. Sunday, Sgt. Carlos Rojas said. Roberto Sarabia of Garden Grove was booked for investigation of murder in the deaths of Olga Sarabia, 46, of Santa Ana and Jose Antonio Huerta, 45, of Hammonton, N.J., the sergeant said Monday. Huerta, visiting relatives for the Thanksgiving holiday, walked into La Rancherita and collapsed. He died later at a hospital. Rojas said the Sarabias were in the midst of a divorce and living apart. Sarabia surrendered to police at the scene without incident, Rojas said. Reports compiled from The Associated Press
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Choudhury Shamim brings political views to CSUF students By LAURA BEYER Daily Titan Staff
During a time when most 19-yearolds are enjoying the college years and meeting new friends, Choudhury Shamim was experiencing the tribulations of a civil war. What was once known as East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, was involved in a civil war with West Pakistan. Now a Cal State Fullerton professor of political science, Shamim said his father, who was involved in the government, and his mother, a homemaker who risked her life to help the rebels — or freedom fighters, as Shamim referred to them — during the war, were influential in his decision to pursue a career in politics. Q: Where did you go to college
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and what degrees have you earned? A: Aside from university in Bangladesh, I received a masterʼs degree in international affairs from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and a second masterʼs in international relations as well as a Ph.D. from USC.
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Q: What would you do if you werenʼt a teacher? A: I would work for the U.N. Q: Why did you choose to work at CSUF? A: I taught in Tennessee and the people were very close-minded. The people in Southern California are more liberal. I also like the students and faculty at Cal State Fullerton. Q: If you could have any super power what would it be? A: To rid the world of nuclear weapons. Q: If you won the lottery what would you do? A: I would open a research foundation and employ students to research U.N. development in poor countries and create scholarships.
Everyone is invited to take a unique trip through life with the award-winning improvisational theater group “Stop Gap” today at the Fullerton Senior Center. The free performance will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed with light refreshments. For more information, call (714) 7386305.
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Q: What do you think is a big social issue? A: Stem cell research. My mom is diabetic and I am borderline diabetic. With stem cell research there are real breakthroughs.
Tuesday, Nov. 30 Sunny Low 37°
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Thursday, Dec. 2 Partly Cloudy Low 41°
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TOY DRIVE
IMMIGRANT
Titan. Chung said most children walk away with at least two, sometimes three presents in their hands, depending on the size of the gift. Chung said that last year the leftover gifts were donated to local toy drives. “The point of the drive is to give presents to Camp Titan campers who otherwise might not have presents to open on Christmas morning,” Chung said. Nicole Gever, the co-director of staffing for Camp Titan who has been working with Camp Titan since 2002, said it is important for students to get involved because it is a way to give back to the community. “It is also an easy way for students to get involved, especially if they do not have the time to commit to be a counselor for Camp Titan,” she said. Gever said the goal for the toy drive is to give the children gifts and a memorable holiday. “In my opinion, the effect that the toy drive has on the children is a positive one,” Gever said. “They are receiving gifts for Christmas, a privilege that children deserve. It makes their holiday season a brighter one.” Gever said student involvement is very simple. “The gifts do not have to be extravagant, just a gift that a child would enjoy,” she said.
Alongside those seeking a better life in the United States are entrepreneurs offering their services to migrants hoping to reach the United States. Human smugglers, commonly called “Coyotes,” make a living sneaking their human cargo across the border by whatever means possible. The methods they employ vary widely - from stuffing people into freight trains to marching them across the desert without food or water. Most of the methods are dangerous, sometimes resulting in death. The price these Coyotes charge for illicit passage across the border is high – usually in the thousands of dollars. Yet the purchase of this passage is by no means a guarantee of getting there. If the migrants make it, they may be held captive by the coyotes until family members pay an additional fee. Border Patrol agents said it is not uncommon for coyotes to kill migrants or others over squabbles about money or territory. Jorge Atilano, a Mexican national, has made the trip across the border and into the United States seven times – each time illegally. On one of these trips he employed the services of a Coyote. He made it, but vowed never to cross with one again. “The fucker almost killed us,” Atilano said. “He took us [through] the desert in Mexicali with no food and water. We almost died.” Atilano added that if it wasnʼt for the water a good samaritan placed in the middle of the desert – apparently for this very reason – they probably would have died from dehydration. Learning from the ordeal, Atilano found other methods of crossing the border. While not divulging details,
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cies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Mondayʼs ruling represented the first time a court has barred the government from enforcing the law. The Justice Department, which represented the government in the case, said it was reviewing its appeal options. “The United States continues to believe that the Solomon Amendment is constitutional,” the agency said in a statement. One judge on the panel wrote a
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Names and ages of underprivileged children in Orange County fill the basket of the snowman in the TSU as a part of the Camp Titan Toy Drive. The toy drive runs through Dec. 16. stinging dissent, saying he was disturbed that law schools would ignore the consequences that a recruiting ban would have on the militaryʼs ability to compete with law firms for young talent. “They obviously do not desire that our men and women in the armed services, all members of a closed society, obtain optimum justice in military courts with the best-trained lawyers and judges,” Judge Ruggero John Aldisert said. He said he disagreed with plaintiffs who argued that the schools were being asked to violate their own anti-discrimination policies by
welcoming recruiters who wonʼt take openly gay men and women. The two-judge majority based its decision in part on an earlier Supreme Court ruling that the Boy Scouts of America could bar homosexuals from becoming scouts or troop leaders. The court reasoned that if the Boy Scouts could legally reject gays because it had a core belief that homosexuality is illegitimate behavior, then other institutions could impose an opposite type of restriction if it had a core value that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong.
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10 to14 “active duty” hours per week, which include staff meetings, RA office hours, duty office hours, open-house hours and other administrative tasks. Another 25 hours of “on-call” time is expected, which includes getting to know their residents, chatting with residents and creating fliers or posters for events. In order to become an RA, one must be a currently enrolled CSUF student with one year of academic experience, be in good judicial standing with the university, have a cumulative 2.5 grade-point average, and a minimum 2.0 semester GPA during the entire employment period. A completion of the CPR/ First Aid certification is also necessary. Furthermore, the selection process for the position starts every spring semester. According to Resident Director Sharnette Underdue, advertisements in the
he said that using these other methods he was successful in about three out of four attempts. Other, less experienced, border hoppers may not be as successful. Jose Gutierrez is one of these. Like Atilano, Gutierrez is also a Mexican national. Born and raised on a farm in Villaguerrero, Mexico, all of his immediate family lives in Mexico. Still, the dream of a better future for him and his family is enough for him to leave everything behind and head north. Gutierrez sold his bicycle and television set to pay for the ticket to Tijuana. He said that as he boarded the plane, he was afraid to look back - he couldnʼt bear to see his mother cry. Gutierrez arrived in Tijuana on the morning of Nov. 12. He came with the blessings of his family, who believed he would be in the hands of his godfather, Jose Pina. Gutierrez said the plan was for him to meet Pina in Tijuana. From there, Pina was to sneak Gutierrez across the border and provide him with a job. Gutierrez met Pina in Tijuana as planned, but after that, things went astray. Using a green card that belonged to his godfatherʼs son, Gutierrez and Pina, accompanied by Pinaʼs wife and two daughters, attempted to cross into the United States in Pinaʼs truck. During an inspection at the border, an agent became suspicious. He asked the name of one of Pinaʼs daughters, but Gutierrez couldnʼt provide the name of his stand-in sister. The plan backfired. Pinaʼs truck and all of Gutierrezʼs possessions – including a jacket, pants and family portraits were seized. Gutierrez has not seen his godfather since. Gutierrezʼs story of separation from family and friends is a common theme among those crossing in
search of work. Atilano is also forcibly absent from his family. “I have a wife and three children,” Atilano said in near perfect English. “But I havenʼt seen them in years.” Atilano explained that because his family is in the United States, it is hard to be with them. He said he had hoped to visit them over the holidays, but because of tightened security following the Sept. 11 attacks, he canʼt get across. “Itʼs bullshit. I paid taxes there. I paid to have my car there. I worked hard over there. But once theyʼre through with you, thatʼs it,” said Atilano, who said he was deported after being arrested for drunk driving. The belief that the United States simultaneously depends on and criminalizes undocumented workers isnʼt lost on Atilano. “The truth is that they need us over there. Iʼm a worker. I do what they wonʼt do. They need me,” he said. Atilano first came to the United States in the late 1970s, a time when he said crossing was easy and work plentiful. “I just walked across the border in Mexicali. Once I was there, getting a job was as easy as asking. Things [arenʼt] like that anymore. Now you have to have a driverʼs license or a Social Security card to get work.” These sentiments arenʼt enough to keep young, able-bodied Mexicans from making the dangerous trip; the call of the American dollar remains strong. Gutierrez is no exception. He said that, one way or another, he will cross into the United States – even if it means walking across the desert that killed 11 like him last year. “I am not afraid to die in the attempt,” he said.
Daily Titan and fliers throughout campus are posted in the beginning of March. Students interested must attend a mandatory information session in order to obtain an application. After reviewing the application and checking GPA requirements, the selected student will be asked to attend a group interview. If the student does well in the group interview, a personal interview will then be arranged. The student will be notified approximately two weeks later with the status of his or her position. Key qualities that Underdue said she looks for in an RA include “a nurturing nature, an excellent work ethic, honesty and dedication.” Once hired, RAs are required to attend an intense two-week mandatory training focused on team building, leadership, diversity, counseling, roommate conflicts, vandalism/theft, emergencies and more, Underdue said. Furthermore, one of the major responsibilities of being an RA is providing support for his or her residents.
“Some people assume residents just come to RAs to talk about school-related things, but they actually come to you for more than that,” said Ashley Roberts, one of the four returning RAs from the previous year. “They talk to you about their problems, family issues — youʼre kind of like a big sister and big brother to them.” Aside from a free room and a monthly $230 food stipend, some of the personal benefits of being an RA include “learning and challenging oneʼs leadership ability and personal growth,” said Erin Smith, another returnee from last year. Without a doubt, Resident Advisers have one of the most challenging and rewarding positions on campus. “RAs have one of the most important leadership positions on campus. Youʼre dealing with peopleʼs lives and making a difference,” Underdue said. “You can learn so much from the job and it helps you become such a well-rounded individual. Why wouldnʼt you want to be one?”
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set their own policies. Rehnquist, who is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, missed Mondayʼs argument and is not expected to return to the court until January, at the earliest. Raich said she hopes the 80-yearold chief justiceʼs chemotherapy treatments “would soften his heart about the issue.” “I think he would find that cannabis would help him a lot,” said Raich, who uses marijuana every few hours for scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic nausea and other illnesses. Californiaʼs law allows people to grow, smoke or obtain marijuana for medical needs with a doctorʼs recommendation. Besides California, other states with such laws are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Medical marijuana was an issue in the November elections. Montana voters easily approved a law that shields patients, their doctors and caregivers from arrest and prosecution for medical marijuana. Oregon rejected a measure that would have expanded its medical marijuana program dramatically.