Oxycontin, a narcotic analgesic used to relieve pain, made headlines once again this week when the State of Florida announced it will commence an investigation into the marketing practices of Purdue Pharma, the drug's manufacturer. The announcement is another crushing blow to the drug maker, which has been in the news in recent months due to Oxycontin's link to a wave of overdose deaths and crime.

Florida's attorney general is investigating how Purdue Pharma educated doctors about the effects of the drug and its potential for abuse by users. The drug maker is under fire by opponents who say Purdue Pharma knowingly made the drug highly addictive. Oxycontin has been linked to a rash of robberies around the country and is blamed for hundreds of deaths in the rural South and elsewhere.