# Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town? Canonical: https://brew.new/templates/substack/are-drug-rehabs-destroying-this-small-ohio-town Brand: substack.com Category: content ![Preview of Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town?](https://cdn.brew.new/email-preview-2a41976ceba5056f-tracking_r57tm794jnz8a7sambrqh6yncx8gp6ng-1792606907833.png) ## Email content Forwarded this email? Subscribe for more The Big ReadWednesday, 10.21.2026View in App Upgrade to Listen Get the whole story. Join now.Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town? The former pill mill capital of America has become overrun by addicts seeking treatment. Locals say the emerging industry is rife with exploitation, abuse, and fraud. Earlier this year, Justin Pizzulli announced a “temporary freeze” on the approval of new rehab centers in Ohio. (All photos by Andrew Spear for The Free Press) By Frannie BlockPREVIEW A few summers ago, Debra Brewer, the chief of the Portsmouth Police Department in southern Ohio, walked outside of the station and found a man sitting on the steps, crying. All he had with him was a bag of clothes. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Brewer asked. He’d been staying at a drug recovery facility in Kentucky, the man told her, when the employees put him in a car with all of his belongings and drove him to Portsmouth. They left him there on the steps of the police station with no way back home, he said. “I was mad,” Brewer told me. She called the rehab center and yelled for them to “stop dropping your clients off in my city.” But this kind of thing happens in Portsmouth all the time, Brewer said. Ross Douthat. Abigail Shrier. Douglas Murray. Niall Ferguson. Coleman Hughes. Caitlin Flanagan. Nellie Bowles. Arthur Brooks. Kat Rosenfield. Tyler Cowen. The voices you trust, all in one place. For a limited time only, subscribe for 20% off The Free Press. Subscribe for 20% off This article is part of How to Live Well. Sign up to get everything we publish on happiness, health, parenting, aging, and the good life. Portsmouth is the largest city in Scioto County. In the early 20th century, it was a bustling metropolis, home to an NFL team and one of the largest shoe manufacturers in the world, with the industry employing nearly 16 percent of the city’s workforce. But when manufacturing, and later steel production, moved offshore in the late 20th century, Scioto County transformed from an industrial hub into America’s pill mill HQ. People lined the blocks throughout town, waiting to see doctors who prescribed opioids by the bagful. The government cracked down in the 2010s, leaving thousands of people struggling with addiction and seeking alternatives on the black market. To address the needs of the heavily addicted population, rehabs and recovery centers sprouted all over town. Today, recovery centers are some of the biggest landowners and employers in the county, according to local officials. Scioto—which has about 70,000 residents and is among the poorest counties in Ohio—boasts more recovery beds per capita than any other county in the state, based on an analysis by The Free Press. Neighboring towns and states have taken to busing in their addicts for treatment. And once they’re there, they often don’t leave. Continue reading 'Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town?' Or Become a paid subscriber today to enjoy unlimited access to The Free Press Unlock the world of The Free Press and stay ahead of the curve with our premium news articles. Annual $8.33/month Billed as $100 yearly Save $20! Monthly $10/month Billed monthly SUBSCRIBE NOW ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN COMMENT LIKE SHARE DOWNLOAD AS A PDF Become a paid subscriber To support our journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below. UPGRADE TODAY Download on the App Store © 2026 The Free Press 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [Open and remix this design](https://brew.new/templates/substack/are-drug-rehabs-destroying-this-small-ohio-town) [Browse email designs](https://brew.new/browse/templates)