Ohio State's Troy Smith part of effort to open medical marijuana dispensary

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
(AP)
(AP)

Ohio continues to take steps toward medical marijuana being available at dispensaries around the state, and Ohio State Heisman winner Troy Smith is getting involved.

Smith has teamed up with businessman Jim Buchanan, high school coach Ted Ginn Sr. (father of NFL receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and Smith’s high school coach) and former Cleveland Browns running back Eric Metcalf to set up a dispensary in the Cleveland area. The group is one of 185 applicants seeking one of 24 licenses needed to cultivate marijuana in the state.

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Smith, who won the Heisman as the Buckeyes quarterback in 2006, attended a hearing in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Tuesday morning. Per Tom Knox of Columbus Business First, Smith said the assistance medical marijuana can provide players with head trauma from football is part of the reason he is involved in the effort.

From Cleveland.com:

Smith said his own head trauma from years of playing football led him to look into medical marijuana and to pursue a business. Smith said he’s only now beginning to understand how banging his head against other players has affected his daily life.

“Sports is a great thing to watch when you’re snacking on chicken wings, but it’s dead serious we need to pay more attention to it and be more delicate,” Smith said, adding that he is certain medical marijuana can be helpful to people with brain injuries.

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Smith, now 32, was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 and played four seasons with the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. He also had a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent time in the United Football League and Canadian Football League.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!