Oxycodone

Oxycodone is a prescription drug used to relieve chronic pain. According to The Guardian:

Oxycodone is not a new drug. Its addictive and euphoric properties have been public knowledge since the 1920's. The abuse of Oxycodone is not a recent phenomenon either. It has been an issue in the United States since the early 1960s. But the recent exponential increase in the number of addicts which follows the release of a much more potent oxycodone variant, trademarked OxyContin. Oxycodone has the same potency as morphine and a similar opiate effect. Misusing this prescription painkiller can bring lethal consequences, but it has grown in popularity because of the availability and relatively cheap cost of a powerful heroin-like "hit". Designed as a sustained-release version of the drug, OxyContin contains up to twenty times the normal amount of the active ingredient. It was soon discovered that by crushing the pills (destroying their slow-release polymer) and then swallowing, snorting or injecting the resulting powder a heroin-like high could be cheaply achieved.

Adverse effects

Adverse effects of Oxycodone use include: dependence, tolerance development and liver damage. After their high, users experience 'pill sickness', severe muscular and joint ache that encourages repeat usage. Common misconceptions about the safety of prescription drugs conspire to heighten the risk of lethal overdose.

Oxycodone Deaths

Over 100 deaths in the States alone have been linked to Oxycodone abuse. But, beyond this death tool, there are also major concerns about the social effects. Some towns are witnessing addiction rates of up to 40% and large increases in drug-related crime. American drugs policy experts have claimed that this is potentially the most serious single-drug epidemic since opium took hold of the States in the 19th century.