Mac Miller was a best-selling rapper who passed away from a drug overdose on September 7, 2018. It was recently discovered that the drugs that killed Miller were laced with fentanyl given to him by his drug dealer, Cameron James Pettit. Mac Miller’s death can teach us how important it is to get help for drug addiction and just how sketchy drug dealers can be.

Miller’s Drug Addiction

During the Macadelic Tour in 2012, Miller started taking promethazine to handle his anxiety and then became addicted to purple drank or “lean.” Miller would never try to hide his drug addiction from the public. He may have quit promethazine in 2012, he would begin to take drugs daily in 2014. In February 2016, Miller would say in his own documentary that he “hated” being sober, but still maintained sobriety for three months where he would feel better and be more creative. Miller’s problems were still far from over as he would be charged for multiple DUIs in 2018. 

Circumstances Surrounding Miller’s Death

On September 7, 2018, Miller was found unresponsive in his Studio City home by his personal assistant. She called 911 and tried to perform CPR on him, but it was too late and he died at the age of 26. His autopsy reported that there was a combination of fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol in his system. It was recently discovered that Miller’s drug dealer, Cameron James Pettit, gave the rapper counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl two days before his overdose which is 50 times stronger than heroin. Pettit is currently being charged with one count of distribution of a controlled substance and will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The investigation is still ongoing as to whether or not Pettit will be charged with murder.

The Takeaway From Miller’s Death

Miller would report on Instagram that he felt he would die in jail. There were never any reports on him trying drug treatment or seeing a therapist. Miller needed help and by not seeking it or others not lending him treatment, his problems got worse. What happened to Miller also shows that drug dealers do not care about the safety of their customers and cannot trust what they claim to sell to you. It is important to not let how Mac Miller died to define him, but by the music that fans loved to hear.

Located in Georgetown, Texas, Alma Loma is a transformative living center to help those struggling in early recovery to transition out of our Psychiatric and Substance Abuse residential center. Alma Loma believes that addiction is born from an untreated mental illness in which our facility is willing to help you. Our facility offers residency, medication management education, individualized treatment, life skills education, 12-Step support, and more tools to bring patients the confidence to be able to live an independent life. For more information, please call us at 866-457-3843.