(October 16, 2007)--California authorities who raided the homes and offices of two of the doctors of one-time Central Texan Anna Nicole Smith made high-profile use of a controversial database.

The system can detect suspicious patterns of prescriptions.

Smith, who was born in Houston and once lived in Mexia, died in February in Florida of an accidental drug overdose.

The former Playboy Playmate and actress was 39.

Some doctors and privacy advocates say patients are suffering because the government crackdown invades people's privacy and interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown and other law enforcement officials dismiss say the system is needed to curb prescription drug abuse.

The database has long been a useful tool for doctors wanting to check patient backgrounds before writing a new prescription.

It details the 20 million narcotic prescriptions written each year in the state.

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