After initial hesitation, Ross votes to approve former Steeler's medical marijuana dispensary

While the Ross commissioners voted to table the approval of a medical marijuana dispensary on McKnight Road at its last meeting, the nine member board voted unanimously Monday to allow the facility to operate.

The dispensary will sit at 7725 McKnight Road, where G&G Fitness Equipment currently resides. That will place it next to Laser Storm, a longtime laser tag center that mainly caters to children. The presence of youths near the dispensary initially concerned some commissioners and Laser Storm’s owner during discussions in February.

But John Mator, who has owned Laser Storm for 29 years, said he has had more time to research since his initial doubts.

“It’s my belief that there won’t be any problem having the dispensary next to my business,” he said. “As long as it’s a nice-looking building, I think we can both prosper.”

The commissioners, however, seemed ready to approve the dispensary with or without Mator’s blessing because the facility did not seem to violate any zoning regulations.

The applicant for the dispensary, former Steelers guard David DeCastro, came to the podium this time represented by lawyer Jonathan Kamin. DeCastro spent nine seasons with the Steelers from 2012 to 2020.

Kamin preformed a sort of direct examination of DeCastro, explaining the nine requirements a dispensary must meet while DeCastro committed to fulfill them.

Though dispensaries are required to operate in an “indoor, enclosed” space — meaning they often cover windows to obscure the view into the building — DeCastro agreed to make these window coverings “aesthetically pleasing” at the request of Mator and commissioners.

“I’m glad it went well, and everyone is happy,” he said.

DeCastro is listed as a strategic investor of Whole Plants LLC, a marijuana company, in addition to other former Steelers such as Ben Roethlisberger and Bud Dupree.

The recently approved dispensary will be the third such facility on McKnight Road in Ross after Zen Leaf and Organic Remedies.

DeCastro said he hopes to open his doors this year, but the timeline for when that may happen is unclear.