
Yesterday, Cameron Douglas, son of actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was sentenced to 5 years of prison and 5 of supervised release.
Last year he was arrested in a hotel in New York in possession of 500 grams of “crystal“, the purest form of meth-amphetamine. He was charged and he pleaded guilty to possession and distribution.
Before the sentence, Michael Douglas and other family members sent letters asking Judge Richard Berman for compassion. “I have some idea of the pressure of finding your own identity with a famous father.” he said.
Catherine Zeta-Jones pleaded for her son to join a rehabilitation center, not a prison.
“What is wrong is wrong, but his positive qualities prevail, so going to a treatment center will help rehabilitate” she said.
His Lawyer, Nicholas M. De Feis said that “His dealing was simply the desperate act of an addict.”
Although dealing with the consequences of addiction is part of recovery. It’s sad to see that, even when an addict has a strong support system, authorities feel that a correctional facility works better than a recovery facility. We hope to see Cameron embracing rehabilitation despite his imprisonment.