(Kentucky Attorney General’s Office)– Attorney General Andy Beshear announced he is working with attorneys general from across the country to investigate whether drug manufacturers contributed to the opioid epidemic by illegally marketing and selling opioids.

Beshear said the bipartisan coalition is working to address the national opioid crisis and is using its investigative tools, including subpoenas for documents and testimony.

Nationwide and in Kentucky, prescription and illicit opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths nationwide in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled over the past 18 years.The office previously settled a lawsuit with Purdue Pharma regarding OxyContin. Beshear’s office provided $8 million from that settlement directly to 15 substance treatment centers throughout Kentucky.