Report: Doctors charged in Matthew Perry's death can continue to legally prescribe drugs

According to TMZ, the doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death – Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia – are still legally allowed to prescribe drugs.

Both doctors were accused of their respective roles in distributing the ketamine to Perry, who died on October 28, 2023 from the “acute effects” of the medical anesthetic, and even confirmed their involvement in supplying it to the popular “Friends” star.

Despite the charges, the California Medical Board investigated both doctors but found no reason to revoke their licenses, according to TMZ.

“Both licenses are current and active and the board has not imposed any restrictions on them,” they confirmed in a statement to the outlet.

Both licenses are listed without restrictions on the Medical Board of California website.

Chavez's contract is listed as “renewed and current” with an expiration date of June 30, 2026. Plasencia's, meanwhile, has the same status with an expiration date of October 31.

The board did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that Plasencia, 42, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering or falsifying documents or records in connection with the federal investigation.

Chavez, 54, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. In his guilty plea, he acknowledged that he sold ketamine off-market to Plasencia for Perry's use.

According to the charging documents, both doctors had been supplying the actor with ketamine since late September 2023. In incriminating text messages, they wondered how much “idiot” Perry would pay for the drug.

Perry is said to have paid the couple over $55,000 in cash in the weeks before his sudden death.

“These defendants were more concerned with profiting from Mr. Perry than with his well-being,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press statement. “Matthew Perry's journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their positions of trust because they viewed him as a payday, and with street dealers who administered ketamine to him in unmarked vials.”

Three other people have been charged in connection with the death of the “17 Again” actor, including his live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who regularly administered the drug to him for recreational use from Perry's home.

Plasencia is said to have taught him how to inject the drug, which is used in medicine to relieve pain. He is said to have administered it in liquid form and in the form of lozenges.

Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” and Eric Fleming were also charged with supplying Perry with ketamine.

Perry had discussed using ketamine to treat his depression in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”

He described it as a “giant exhale” and as if he had “a giant bucket of joy slammed on his head,” but admitted it made him feel like he was “dying.”

Although he seemed to enjoy the benefits of ketamine, he ultimately condemned it, writing, “The hangover was severe and weighed heavier than the shovel. Ketamine was not for me.”

However, according to the Justice Department, he developed an addiction to the drug, something his doctor friends were well aware of.

The Justice Department even claimed that Plasencia told another patient that Perry's addiction was “getting out of control” but continued to give him the drug anyway.

Under his agreement, Chavez faces up to ten years in a federal prison.

Plasencia faces 10 years in prison for each ketamine-related charge and up to 20 years for each count of falsification.