SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California on Monday became the latest state to sue the pharmaceutical company behind the painkiller OxyContin, alleging it falsely promoted the drug as not addictive even as it emerged as one of the most widely abused in the U.S.

State Attorney General Xavier Becerra accused Purdue and its former president, Dr. Richard Sackler, of stoking the crisis with irresponsible practices.

Purdue and other opioid manufacturers are facing lawsuits from state and local governments over the marketing and promotion of opioids.

In a statement Monday, Purdue Pharma and former directors of the company denied the allegations in the California lawsuit and vowed to defend against the “misleading attacks.”

Purdue stopped marketing OxyContin to doctors last year. It settled a lawsuit by the state of Oklahoma in March for $270 million.