The California attorney general's office has announced a crackdown on prescription drug fraud that will start by targeting 50 individuals with the most extensive track record of visiting multiple doctors and pharmacies to get drugs, the Imperial Valley News reported Sept. 30.

"These prescription drug addicts are abusing the system, draining time and money from hundreds of doctors and pharmacies who are there to help real sick people, not con artists," said California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. "We want to end these dangerous cycles of fraud and abuse."

A statewide campaign was launched in June to address prescription drug abuse and make it easier for doctors to keep track of prescription drug records. The plan includes a proposal to ensure health professionals access to computers with real-time updated information describing patients' prescription drug histories.

The initiative has led to dozens of arrests of individuals suspected of gaming the system to fraudulently obtain large quantities of controlled prescription drugs.