A new report published by the Florida Medical Examiner's office says that oxycodone, the main ingredient in the painkiller OxyContin, caused or contributed to more deaths last year in Florida than heroin. According to the examiner's office, it is the first time that the state has seen more deaths linked to a prescription drug than an illegal narcotic.

Data from the annual report, titled "Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons," revealed that 537 people died in 2001 due to oxycodone abuse compared to 328 heroin deaths. A spokesperson for the state's Office of Drug Control said the results are due to OxyContin's addiction rate. The painkiller produces a heroin-like high when crushed and snorted or mixed with water and injected.