A doctor in California was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of illegally providing "Friends" star Matthew Perry with the ketamine drug, which caused his death from an overdose in 2023. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, who runs a clinic near Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to four charges related to illegal drug distribution and surrendered his medical license. He had faced up to 40 years in prison. In October 2023, 54-year-old Matthew Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. An autopsy report confirmed his death was caused by the "acute effects of ketamine" with other contributing factors that led to him losing consciousness and drowning. Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic that causes hallucinations. It is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and other psychological disorders, but it is widely misused as an illegal party drug.
