Opioid Treatment and MOUD in Canton, OH

Opioid use disorder responds to medication the way diabetes responds to insulin — that is not a metaphor but the finding behind decades of research on buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Stark County's overdose numbers have been trending the right way for two straight years, but the local drug supply keeps getting more complicated, with xylazine and methadone showing up in more deaths. Here is what treatment looks like in Canton and how to begin.

What Stark County data shows

Canton is the seat of Stark County, home to about 374,091 people, roughly 69,211 of them in the city, per Census Bureau estimates. Stark County's Overdose Fatality Review committee, working from Ohio Department of Health mortality data, records for 2024:

  • 104 overdose deaths, with 53 involving opioids — down again in 2025, when county officials reported 84 deaths
  • Rising xylazine and methadone involvement in cause-of-death findings
  • Stimulant-related deaths that have now surpassed opiate-related deaths, a shift that matters for anyone using opioids and stimulants together
  • About 77% of those who died were male
  • Stark County ranked 9th of 88 Ohio counties for overdose emergency-department visits in 2024 (476 visits)

Read together, the picture is of a falling death toll resting on a volatile supply. Fentanyl analogs, xylazine, and stimulant-adulterated products change how treatment starts — which is one more reason a clinician-supervised induction beats improvising a buprenorphine start at home.

How MOUD works

The three approved medications take different routes:

  • Buprenorphine — prescribed in office-based settings, started once mild withdrawal has appeared, available as a daily film or a monthly injection
  • Methadone — dispensed daily at a certified opioid treatment program with structured monitoring
  • Naltrexone — a monthly injection that blocks opioid effects, started after detox is complete

Counseling, peer support, and medical care wrap around the medication. SAMHSA describes treatment plans as individualized: if the first medication or program is not working, switching is allowed and common. The National Institute on Drug Abuse summarizes the core finding — people on these medications are less likely to die than people who go without them.

Naloxone and the local supply

Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose and cannot harm someone who is not overdosing. In March 2023 the FDA approved the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray, so it is available at pharmacies without a prescription. Carry it if you or someone close to you uses opioids — including anyone using pills that did not come from a pharmacy.

Stark County's Overdose Fatality Review flagged xylazine, an animal sedative that has entered the illicit supply, as a rising contaminant in county deaths. Xylazine is not an opioid, so naloxone may not fully reverse its effects — another reason to call 911 on every suspected overdose.

Where to start in Canton

  • CommQuest Services offers medication-assisted treatment at its Canton Outpatient Campus, 601 Cleveland Ave. NW (Building A), with walk-in assessments Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday mornings (general line 330-455-0374), and at its Recovery Campus, 1680 Nave Road SE, Massillon (330-830-3393), which provides withdrawal management and around-the-clock care
  • StarkMHAR (330-455-6644) coordinates the county's public treatment network; its 24/7 crisis line, 330-452-6000, is the same number dialing 988 reaches locally
  • The SAMHSA treatment locator can be searched from any Canton ZIP code and filtered by level of care and payment type

Paying for care

Ohio Medicaid covers substance use disorder treatment for eligible members through one of seven managed care plans: AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Buckeye Community Health Plan, CareSource Ohio, Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio. Confirm covered services with your plan. If you are uninsured, the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) offers free, confidential referrals, and StarkMHAR-funded providers serve residents based on need.

How to start today

Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through treatment options with a person — no pressure, no commitment. Or use the form below and we will reach out:

Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers.

Emergency and crisis lines

If someone is unresponsive or not breathing normally, call 911 and use naloxone if you have it. For a mental health or substance use crisis that is not a medical emergency, call or text 988, or StarkMHAR's crisis line at 330-452-6000. Every one of these calls is free and confidential.

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any facility named above.

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