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Danville Father Seeks Prescription Drug Tax To Curb Abuse

DANVILLE (CBS / AP) -- The father of two East Bay children killed when a drunk driver high on pain killers ran them down is pushing for a ballot measure to tax prescription drugs to fund the state's drug-tracking system.

California's secretary of state cleared 56-year-old Robert Pack of Danville on Tuesday to seek signatures to put his proposal before voters.

The Oakland Tribune reports the measure would impose a quarter-cent-per-pill tax.

The money would fund the state's Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, a database that tracks the dispensing of prescription drugs like pain killers to detect possible abuse. The system is threatened by state Justice Department budget cuts.

Pack's 7-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son were killed in 2003. Jimena Barreto is serving 30 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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