BRUNSWICK – A man who said he had a gun held up a Rite Aid pharmacist Saturday demanding the powerful painkiller OxyContin, police said.

In the latest crime in Maine involving OxyContin, the man entered the Rite Aid in Brunswick about 3:45 p.m. and demanded the drug. The pharmacist complied and the suspect left the store on foot, police said.

The man was described as white, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and 180 pounds.

Law enforcement officials say the popularity of OxyContin is spreading in rural states such as Maine, along with the crime that comes with it.

Days after someone robbed a Yarmouth Shop ‘n Save pharmacy of OxyContin tablets in March, the chain’s owner, Hannaford Bros. Co., decided to pull the drug from its shelves.

OxyContin, a time-release painkiller prescribed for arthritis, cancer and lower back pain sufferers, came on the market in 1996. Abusers crush the pills so they get a quicker and more potent high.