NEW YORK (AP) – Michael Douglas believes his son's five-year sentence for dealing drugs could be a lifesaver, he said this week on NBC television, describing the prison term as "adequate".

Douglas expressed hope that incarceration would give 31-year-old Cameron Douglas the time he needs to kick the drug habit that has plagued him since he was 13.

"He was going to be dead or somebody was going to kill him," Douglas said. "My son was a drug dealer, and he tried to kill himself for a while, and I can't condone his behaviour."

Last month, a judge sentenced Cameron Douglas to five years for dealing methamphetamine from a trendy Manhattan hotel.

"It's going to take that amount of time for him to rebuild and start himself afresh," Douglas said.