Former Pittsburgh Steelers guard David DeCastro is looking to open a medical marijuana dispensary business in Ross Township, but he's waiting for approval from the township, as there's a dispute with a neighbor business, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review .
The proposed dispensary would be at 7725 McKnight Road, where G&G Fitness Equipment currently sits. It's right next to Laser Storm, a laser tag facility. Owner John Mator said his potential new neighbor would almost certainly harm his business, which mostly caters to young children.
DeCastro said at the meeting with Ross Township commissioners that the facility would be "very secure" and "run like a pharmacy."
DeCastro also said he holds the proper permits, and his business would employ an armed security guard and be continuously monitored by cameras.
DeCastro, who was a six-time Pro Bowl guard with the Steelers from 2012-2020, was released with a non-football injury designation in June of 2021. He never played in the NFL again.
DeCastro said at the meeting that the marijuana business is "new to him" and he "views it as medicine."
DeCastro is listed as a strategic investor of Whole Plants LLC, a marijuana company, in addition to other former Steelers players Ben Roethlisberger and Bud Dupree .
Former Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier also entered the medical marijuana business in 2023. Shazier partnered up with Organic Remedies, a medical marijuana cultivation and research organization based in south-central Pennsylvania, to create a product line to help patients improve their quality of life by managing pain, anxiety, and depression.
DeCastro and Shazier are among a slew of retired athletes who've turned to medical marijuana as a remedy instead of opioid drugs to treat pain. In 2017, Shazier suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury that nearly paralyzed him. Shazier was prescribed painkillers as part of his treatment, but found medical marijuana as a safer cure to treat his pain, depression, and anxiety.
"I was looking for a safe and natural alternative for my pain management. Medical marijuana came into play and was a huge catalyst and benefit for my recovery as I was regaining my mobility," Shazier wrote on X in promotion of his new product.
Prominent former NFL players Joe Montana, Marshawn Lynch , Rob Gronkowski , Calvin Johnson and Ricky Williams are also in the medical marijuana business. In a 2016 survey of 226 of the NFL's nearly 3,000 players on active rosters or practice squads, ESPN found that 61 percent believed that players would take fewer injections of strong anti-inflammatory drugs such as Toradol if they could treat pain legally with marijuana. In another study, ESPN reported that 71% of 644 NFL players surveyed misused opioids.
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