HIGH COUNTRY â While much of the focus was on the U.S. presidential race in the 2020 General Elections, voters in five states also approved the legalization of marijuana, bringing the total to 36 states that have legalized it for medical use, if not recreational. However, the discussion of legalization is not stopping at the state level. On Dec. 4, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the MORE Act with a 228-158 vote. A large part of the MORE Act is the focus on how non-white Americans have been disproportionally affected by marijuana laws. The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, which was convened by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper via Executive Order 145 on June 9, focuses on such issues. The task force made preliminary recommendations on Nov. 18 to help deal with oversights, discriminations and other problems minorities face when it comes to the stateâs law enforcement and judicial systems.