Meek Mill Reveals That He Struggled with Opioid Addiction
Shortly after Kanye West revealed his opioid addiction, Meek Mill opened up about his own battles with drugs.
On Thursday (May 3), the Philadelphia rapper stood next to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to address criminal justice reform. During his speech, Mill spoke about how probation can affect the opioid crisis.
“At one point in my life, I was actually addicted to opioids,” he said. “There should be a line drawn when you’re scared to tell you’re probation officer that you have a drug problem because you don’t want to be sent to prison for years.”
Meek eventually spoke with his probation officer about the issue and went to rehab. “Actually, I would like to thank my probation officer in Montgomery County. Her name is Kathy Subbio,” he said. “I had a drug problem years ago and I told her… She put me in a rehabilitation program and it changed my life.”
Meek went on to say that technical infractions can lead to severe prison sentences. He brought up the recent Starbucks incident in Philadelphia, where two black men were arrested for no reason. The men, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, reportedly settled with the city for $1 each and a $200,000 fund to help young entrepreneurs in the city.
“I actually watched the Starbucks situation play out through media,” said Meek. “If that was me in Starbucks, on probation, I would have been actually in technical violation, and still would have been able to legally be sentenced to 2-4 years in prison because I came in contact with police.”
Meek is out on bail after being sentenced to 2-4 years in prison over probation violations. “It was a traumatic experience,” he said of his recent stint in prison. “I’m happy to be back and be a part of what I call history because I know there’s a lot of voiceless men and people I personally know from sitting next to them every day, who are depending on me. God has given me a great platform to help many others and make Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the world a better place.”