Mr. White hopes to see more Black and Latino people leading cannabis brands and businesses.

Fifteen states, as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana use, with New York among the most recent state to adopt such a measure. That bill, signed into law last month by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, included significant provisions to address issues of racial equity, such as clearing criminal records of past convictions for marijuana-related offenses and earmarking 40 cents of every dollar in tax revenue from cannabis sales for the communities that have been hardest hit by the consequences of drug enforcement.

One conversation about equity is the ownership of dispensaries and who stands to profit from the slate of new laws. According to MJBizDaily, about 81 percent of those who own cannabis businesses are white, while only 4 percent are Black and 6 percent are Latino — two groups who are historically criminalized for marijuana use and sales.

Jaleel White, best known for playing the popular character Steve Urkel in the 1990s sitcom “Family Matters,” is among those leading the charge. He developed and recently started a cannabis line under the name ItsPurpl, a partnership with 710 Labs, creating variants of a strain called Purple Urkle.

“We were never a brand that pursued celebrity deals, in fact we turned a few away,” Brad Melshenker, founder of 710 Labs, said about his decision to work with Mr. White, who is Black. “But after meeting Jaleel serendipitously on an airplane and becoming friends, the idea grew organically, and we knew we had the right partner.” [Read More @ The NY Times]