Actor Matthew Perry’s untimely passing offers a reminder of US substance abuse scourge

In this file photo dated Thursday, Nov 17, 2022, Matthew Perry arrives at the 2022 GQ Men of the Year Party on, at the West Hollywood Edition in West Hollywood, California, US. (PHOTO / AP)

Actor Matthew Perry’s untimely death at age 54 evoked a rare outpouring of emotions from the millions of fans who not only followed his idiosyncratic, sarcastic character, Chandler Bing, for the 10 seasons that the hit sitcom Friends, but also Perry’s well-publicized battles with alcohol and drug addiction, and his passionate advocacy for ending the scourge of substance abuse.

So, instead of merely mourning his passing, we should use Perry’s life as a lesson to get the United States’ and the global community’s act together to redouble our efforts to end substance abuse.

When I was posted to the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board in Vienna, Austria, in 1981, I could see the US’ so-called war on drugs was not being won. Today, more than four decades later, the country has fallen further behind in the battle.

Perry’s life is ample proof of the US’ failure. His substance abuse started at age 14 with beer and wine. He then progressed to more potent alcoholic drinks. He “graduated” to opioid abuse and became addicted to painkillers such as OxyContin. He spent half his life in rehabilitation, attended more than 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and spent more than $9 million trying to tame his addiction. 

But the abuse of legal drugs, legally or illegally obtained, pales in comparison to the abuse of illegally produced drugs.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate created in laboratories, began as a powerful legal painkiller. The demand for legal fentanyl in the US could not be met. So illicit fentanyl began appearing. According to the US National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there were 42,700 fentanyl overdose deaths in 2020.

The US accuses China of facilitating fentanyl abuse. But the fact is that the US cannot get its house in order, as Perry’s case shows, even with drugs that are legally manufactured. Why? You do not have to be a drug expert to know the reason. Being an economist is sufficient. To put it simply, it is a matter of supply and demand. The US demand for drugs has kept increasing, with supply, too, increasing to meet it.

Short of making some or the most illegal drugs legal, albeit under controlled conditions — an idea that is fiercely debated — to end the abuse of both legal and illegal drugs, both the supply side and demand side must be simultaneously addressed.

China has cooperated with the US to reduce fentanyl abuse by banning the production and export of fentanyl and its analogs. And in 2019, China announced that it would add all fentanyl-related substances to its list of controlled drugs, making them illegal to manufacture, sell in the domestic market or export.

China and the US had been sharing intelligence and even conducting joint operations, but former US president Donald Trump’s continued attacks against China have greatly undermined that cooperation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to China in June, sought to revive the high-level cooperation, specifically to end fentanyl abuse. Both sides agreed to establish task forces to this effect, but this is still work in progress.

Of late, perhaps because both China and the US have recognized that bilateral relations had hit rock bottom, there has been renewed engagement in this area.

Both countries, indeed all countries, are facing common existential threats, and efforts to address them cannot be further deferred. Drug abuse is only one of the threats faced by the world, and not the most pressing. The ravages of climate change are increasing and worsening by the day, and only a Luddite would deny its impacts on society and the environment.

According to scientists, another pandemic like COVID-19, perhaps more lethal, is no longer a question of if but when. The unleashing of “generative artificial intelligence” is also a cause for concern if not addressed now, given that computers have been showing signs of starting to think for themselves.

So let us grieve for Perry and the demons he faced, but keep in mind that we face demons, too, just as self-created as Perry’s were. The US should deepen cooperation with China to overcome the threats of drug abuse, climate change, AI, and many other issues, because they are the world’s two leading countries. Without resuming active cooperation, they cannot resolve any issues. 

The author is a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.