Grants were awarded to the states of Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia. The money will underwrite the "Painfully Obvious" campaign, consisting of public-service announcement and educational materials for youth.

"I've never heard of another drug company that has funded prevention efforts or put as much energy into prevention efforts as Purdue Pharma has," Maine Office of Substance Abuse Director Kim Johnson. "And I think they should. We've had quite a problem with their product in the state of Maine."

Annual OxyContin sales topped $1 billion in 2000, making the drug Perdue Pharma's top-selling product. But the company has been widely criticized for not doing more to prevent misuse of the powerful narcotic.