Say 'no' to drugs, not 'sorry' for using them

Public scrutiny of celebrity drug users has peaked with the detention of kung fu superstar Jackie Chan's son in Beijing. Jaycee Chan, 31, also an actor, was detained on Aug 14 along with 23-year-old Taiwan movie star Kai Ko. Beijing police said on Aug 18 that both actors had tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug. Besides, 100 grams of marijuana was seized from Jaycee Chan's house in Beijing.

Chan and Ko are the latest celebrities to be detained in drug-related scandals in recent months. On Aug 4, Beijing police detained actor Gao Hu on suspicion of using drugs, only three days after actor Zhang Mo, son of actor-director Zhang Guoli, was detained for alleged drug use. Zhang Mo had been detained in 2012 too for the same reason. In June, director Zhang Yuan, and scriptwriter and TV host Ning Caishen were detained for drug use. And a month before that singer Li Daimo was sentenced to nine months in prison for hosting a crystal methamphetamine party at his home in Beijing.

If the involvement of so many celebrities in drug scandals has brought shame to the entertainment industry, then the detention of Jaycee Chan and Kai Ko has revealed some ironic elements in stars' lifestyles and even the country's anti-drug campaign.

Jackie Chan was appointed anti-drug ambassador by the Chinese government in 2009 and since then has made notable contributions to the country's fight against drugs. Given Jackie Chan's popularity, his high social status, huge influence and his positive contributions to China's charity and other public welfare causes, the detention of his son for narcotics use is nothing but tragic irony.

As soon as the news of Jaycee Chan's detention became public, more than 70 million clicks were registered on the Internet, with more than 300,000 netizens posting their opinions. People have good reason to believe that senior Chan's image and his role in the anti-drug campaign should have instilled in his son a strong sense of social responsibility - if he didn't join the fight against drugs, at least he shouldn't have done otherwise.

Given a chaotic lifestyle among some entertainment stars, it will come no surprise if any of other figures, but not Jaycee Chan, is reported to use drugs.