11th Annual Opiate Symposium Returns to Canton

The event at the Pro Football Hall of Fame aims to address the opioid crisis with a focus on treatment and recovery.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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The Stop Heroin from Killing Committee will host its 11th annual Opiate Symposium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on February 26th. The event, titled "Recovery and Resilience," will feature speakers sharing their personal stories of addiction and recovery, as well as booths from local agencies and nonprofits involved in fighting drug addiction. Judge Frank Forchione, the event's organizer, says the community is seeing progress in addressing the opioid crisis, with a 20% drop in overdose deaths in Stark County last year.

Why it matters

The annual Opiate Symposium is an important community event that brings together local leaders, treatment providers, and those impacted by the opioid crisis to raise awareness, share resources, and highlight the progress being made in addressing this public health emergency. As the crisis continues to evolve, with new and more potent drugs like medetomidine emerging, events like this help keep the community informed and engaged in the ongoing fight.

The details

The free, public event will take place from 6-8pm at the Nash Event and Conference Center at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition to personal stories from those in recovery, the symposium will feature speakers including retired NFL player Joe Klecko, who will discuss how addiction has impacted others. Local law enforcement has warned about the emergence of medetomidine, a veterinary sedative that is 200 times more potent than xylazine, known as the "zombie drug." While this new threat has not yet been seen locally, officials say it is a growing concern nationwide.

  • The 11th annual Opiate Symposium will be held on February 26, 2026.
  • Unintentional drug overdose deaths in Stark County fell more than 20% from 106 in 2024 to 84 in 2025.

The players

Frank Forchione

A Stark County Common Pleas judge and the chief organizer of the Opiate Symposium.

Joe Klecko

A retired New York Jets defensive tackle and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who will speak at the event about how he has seen addiction affect others.

Rick Stauffer

A major with the Stark County Sheriff's Office, who stated that the department has not yet encountered medetomidine in their drug cases, but warned that it is a growing concern nationwide due to its potency and resistance to naloxone treatment.

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What they’re saying

“We're finding better ways to get treatment (for people with drug addictions). People are more open to talk about it in the sense that we're removing the stigma. We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but the battle is still going to be difficult and remains.”

— Frank Forchione, Stark County Common Pleas judge (cantonrep.com)

“I tried to explain to these people that these are good people who can be productive in society and we just need to get them help.”

— Frank Forchione, Stark County Common Pleas judge (cantonrep.com)

“The days of throwing people in the jail and throwing away the key are over with. We have to attack the addiction, offer the treatment and give (people struggling with drug addiction) family and public support. And we're starting to see positive results from the contributions of all the Stark County agencies.”

— Frank Forchione, Stark County Common Pleas judge (cantonrep.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

The 11th annual Opiate Symposium in Canton reflects a growing community-wide effort to address the opioid crisis through a focus on treatment, recovery, and removing the stigma around addiction. While challenges remain, the progress seen in Stark County, including a drop in overdose deaths, suggests that this collaborative approach is starting to yield positive results.