OxyContin has become a major drug of abuse since addicts found a way around the time release characteristics of this form of the opioid pain reliever oxycodone.

Like its chemical cousins morphine and heroin, OxyContin is a powerful pain reliever, bringing relief to patients with severe post surgical or cancer pain. Also like those other products derived from the opium poppy, it is profoundly addictive, and the withdrawal symptoms are as agonizing as the pain the drug is intended to control.

This pamphlet teaches readers the chemical nature of the drug, its street names, its effects on the brain and body, and the lethal potential for overdose.

Readers are also referred to In the Know Zone, Fox Pro Media's free drug abuse information website, for further research.