Promising to be safe and non-addictive, OxyContin was a potent prescription painkiller that swept the country in the late 1990s. But because of its extreme addictiveness, abuse, addiction, and overdose deaths increased dramatically, wreaking havoc on communities, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged places. Due to the drug's tragic contribution to the opioid epidemic, corporate responsibility, lawsuits, and a review of prescription policies nationwide resulted.