The Chinese government has released from jail Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan, after completing his six-month jail sentence for drug charges.
State media Xinhua news agency reported that Jaycee Chan was freed in the morning of February 13 after he has completed his sentence that also included the time he spent while he was in detention in August 2014, cites Yahoo! Music from a Reuters report.
Jaycee is both an actor and a singer and the 32-year-old was among the B-list Chinese celebrities detained by Chinese authorities last year on drug-related charges as part of the government’s campaign to really get tough and serious with its anti-drug abuse policies.
In addition to Jackie Chan’s son, the crackdown also netted other Chinese movie and television stars, film directors, and a prominent screenwriter, in an effort by the government to set an example and show the public how serious it is in wanting to rid the country of illegal drugs and run after illegal drug users too.
Marijuana user
The son of the world renowned kung fu star was also charged in December with the crime of sheltering others to take drugs after he was tested positive for marijuana use.
When he was apprehended at his home, Chinese police authorities have found 100 grams of the substance. He is facing a maximum prison of three years for the crime of sheltering or inducing others to take illegal drugs, which is different from the illegal drug possession charges that he has already served time for.
Jaycee will be holding a press conference on February 14 but it is not clear if he will say anything about how his father has negatively reacted to his apprehension and detention in August of last year.
Rampant illegal drugs and drug users
China has become the melting pot for illegal drugs especially synthetic substance including methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstacy. These illegal substances have grown widely popular in China which also augured well for the rise of the new breed of urban Chinese class with greater financial liquidity and more disposable income.
In fact, China is actually regarded these days as the main source of illegal drugs that is currently spreading to its neighbouring Asian countries. Many illegal drug traffickers in other Asian countries are either Chinese or have good connection in China.
With the crackdown of the Chinese government against illegal drugs and illegal drug users in its country, other Asian governments appreciated the effort because it is also parallel with their respective anti-illegal drugs campaign in their respective countries.
The high-profile arrest of Jaycee Chan and other Chinese celebrities means that the Chinese government really means business in its anti-drug campaign.
Jackie Chan, who has served as goodwill spokesman for the China National Anti-Drug Committee in 2009, felt quite ashamed when his son was apprehended in August. He has been promoting anti-drug education since 2009 and he hopes that his son Jaycee will eventually talk about the dangers of using illegal drugs one day in the future.