COLUMBUS, Ohio — American journalist and author Sam Quinones spent 10 years at the LA Times, writing about gangs, immigration, but never anything about health care—until 2014.

Then he began investigating the surge of pain killers and recreational drugs.

“Everyone was mortified that their child, or their loved one, their husband, their grandfather even ended up strung out on opiates of all things,” Quinones said. “And so, when I was going around, I really was telling a story that I don't think anybody had told yet.”

He assumed his book “Dreamland” would fail. Only one publisher showed any interest and no one was paying enough attention to what would become an epidemic.

When he wrote the book, there were three lawsuits against drug companies—primarily against Purdue Pharma. Now, there are more than 2,600 lawsuits.

His research on Mexican heroin trafficking and the use of pill mills brought him to southern Ohio.

“So (what) Ohio taught me was really not an economic story. It's easy to think so initially, but when you get into it, you understand that it's far more about community destruction, isolation,” Quinones said. “And you can see that in wealthy areas, as well as in economically devastated areas.”

U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia announced a $20 million federal grant last month to battle opioids in four southern Ohio counties.

The funds will help employment and unemployment services, cash, and food assistance.

“The people in this area have said this is our problem and we've got to start taking care of it. We can't pretend it’s not happening,” said Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Quinones plans to release another book next year and include what's happening in Hardin County and the importance of drug courts.

“In the next 15 to 20 years, drug courts will become an essential part of criminal justice—really well situated to deal with people who have addiction and deal with those folks in a very personal one on one way,” said Quinones.

Quinones said, yes, the pandemic has put opioids on the back burner.

But he believes COVID-19, the social justice movement and the opioid crisis all have a common denominator.

“George Floyd's last words, ‘I can't breathe’ were the words of the meat packer who is dying of COVID in a hospital somewhere—of the addict dying of an overdose under the overpass. I think the lessons of each have a lot in common,” said Quinones.

Quinones said people are only as strong as their most vulnerable, and it'll take both personal and public efforts to overcome these monumental issues.