MITCHELL -- Attorney General Marty Jackley says a system is needed for doctors to see what drugs have been prescribed to the patients they encounter.

Jackley says there are no checks and balances and the problem needs to be dealt with.

The former U.S. attorney for South Dakota says prescription drug abuse has spiked during the past three years.

The office prosecuted 50 cases in 2007. The number doubled in 2008 and it's expected to come in at 156 this year.

Jackley says the state Department of Health ideally would handle the project.

He says the attorney general's office is also willing to address the issue.