MAN DIES FROM APPARENT OXYCONTIN OVERDOSE

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (AP) -- A China Grove man has died from an apparent
overdose of OxyContin, a prescription painkiller that's become a popular
street drug, police said.

Eric Christopher Bowlin, 26, died Thursday at NorthEast Medical Center in
Concord. Kannapolis Police said Bowlin, a mechanic at a Salisbury car
dealership, spent Wednesday night at the home of two friends in Kannapolis.
The next morning, police responded to a call from that residence and found
him barely alive.

Police said they found a bottle of OxyContin, but said the drug was
prescribed for someone else.

Based on interviews and the amount of OxyContin remaining in the bottle,
police determined Bowlin had been using the drug during the night.

Detective Kay Myers said she was still awaiting toxicology reports on
Bowlin. She said she does not expect police to file any charges in
connection with his death, but there could be drug-related charges against
his friends who lived at the residence.

The drug, a potent painkiller, gives a euphoric high like heroin.
Authorities say its use and abuse has risen in recent years. Last year, 21
people died from OxyContin overdoses in North Carolina.