Meek Mill is fighting the good fight. After being released on bail from prison in April 2018, the rapper spoke up during a press conference in Philadelphia on Thursday (May 3), where he admitted he felt compelled to hide his addiction to opioids out of fear he’d be sent back to jail for probation violation. He cited the incident as an example of how he suffered due to a harsh legal system.
According to TMZ, Meek was addicted to the powerful painkillers while he was on probation, although the year is not certain. “At one point in my life, I was actually addicted to opioids,” he revealed. “I think it should be a line drawn where you have a drug problem where you’re scared to tell your probation officer you have a drug problem because you don’t want to be sent to prison for years.”
Despite his initial fears, Meek thanked his probation officer for putting him in a rehabilitation program to get the help he needed. It may have worked for Meek, but the rapper explained how others who are on probation and struggle with addiction, often suffer in silence out of fear.
This article originally appeared in Vibe.