Opium poppies. Photo: CFP

 

Hong Kong actor Jaycee Chan (left) and Taiwan actor Ko Chen-tung appear at a music concert in Taipei, Taiwan on April 1. The two were caught smoking marijuana by Beijing police in August 2014. Photo: CFP

 "Please disappear for good, your fans might forgive you but the public will not, please get another career so that no more young people will regard you as an idol, which you do not deserve."

A comment under the most recent Weibo post of Ko Chen-tung, a Taiwanese actor, saying he would "move on with smile and scar," soon garnered over 26,000 likes, together with similar criticism and abuse of the former "icon boy."

Ko, 25, was detained for 15 days for drug use in Beijing in August 2014. Though the star, who has 36 million followers on Sina Weibo, continues to share his experiences and feelings on the platform, a large number of the comments are no longer friendly.

Whether celebrities with a record of drug use deserve a second chance has long been a controversial topic in China, and this debate resumed after Lan Weihong, deputy director of the national anti-drug office, told the China News Service in on June 25 that "celebrities can perform again if they conform to related regulations."

Second chance

Responding to Ko's case, Ren said that the country's policy is not to "beat them to death" and everyone, including criminals, deserves a second chance. The public can choose not to see his films if they think he has a poor image, added Ren. 

However, Hu Xingdou, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology and expert on China's social problems, disagrees, saying there are certain things that a celebrity should never do and their careers should end immediately when trespassing on those "forbidden areas." Taking drugs should be the end of a celebrity's career, and stars should have a stricter sense of self-discipline when enjoying a high social status and wealth, Hu told the Global Times.

Dong Guang, an experienced drug control official and head of bjjdzx.org, a website affiliated with Beijing's anti-drug office, told the Global Times that the negative influence of a celebrity's drug use far outweighs ordinary people's, and some young people might even follow their idol after seeing drug use as a "new fashion."

Ko sparked another round of debate after his agent confirmed with the media in May that Ko would play a police officer in a TV series. Supporters insisted that society should be more tolerant, while some argue that the celebrity's easy comeback shows his wrongdoing has done no harm to his career, which sends a poor message.

In addition, some police officers have argued that it's unacceptable to see a drug user playing a police officer, saying Ko's role is disrespectful to police who risk their lives, and those who died to fight against drugs, said a commentary published on the People's Daily in early June.

According to a Sina Weibo poll, about 55.9 percent of the 100,000 users who participated in the poll said they oppose Ko continuing his career in the mainland. 

Though admitting that most of those drug-using celebrities, such as Ko, are very young and a single mistake should not cost them their whole career, Shi Chuan, a professor with the Shanghai Theater Academy and vice president of the Shanghai Film Artist Association, told the Global Times that he "will not employ them in my films," considering the risk of a ban or having to remake the film.

Hard to continue

Though experts agree celebrities should pay a price for the negative social impact they cause by using drugs, there's no consensus on how harshly they should be punished. However, many government bodies and industry associations have already issued bans that make continuing their careers difficult. 

Since April, Shanghai has banned TV shows, movies and commercials that involve actors and actresses with a history of illegal drug use if they fail to kick their drug habit within three years of being brought up on drug charges. Any organization or TV company that employs stars who have been involved in drug cases also faces fine of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,340), said the ban. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television also issued a notice in 2014, requiring TV companies and cinemas to stop showing programs and films that feature such stars.