Following a report in the Wall Street Journal detailing Elon Musk’s drug use, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX denied using illegal drugs on Sunday, saying that “not even trace quantities” of drugs or alcohol were found in his body over three years of random drug tests.
The billionaire has “never failed a test,” according to Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro, who also told the Wall Street Journal that the story contained “false facts” but did not specify which ones.
Musk has previously acknowledged using the dissociative medication ketamine to address depression.
Although the FDA has only authorized ketamine for anesthetic use, there have been increasing research trials in recent years for the drug’s “off-label” usage in the treatment of depression and other mood disorders.
A thorough investigation into Musk’s drug usage was released by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, and it is said to be worrisome for Tesla and SpaceX officials. The story claims that Musk’s drug usage has been discussed informally by Tesla board members for years. Some have even expressed worries about his conduct toward his brother Kimbal Musk.
WSJ reported that the wealthiest man has taken LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms. These are often private parties held across the world, where guests must sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to join.
Musk has a history of public marijuana use and has claimed to be prescribed the hallucinogenic drug ketamine. He took many tabs of acid, for instance, at a party he threw in Los Angeles in 2018. He used magic mushrooms to party at a Mexican gathering the next year. He and his brother, Kimbal Musk, indulged in recreational ketamine usage in 2021 while attending an Art Basel house party in Miami. He has used illicit substances while working for both SpaceX and former Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson.
The publication also stated that Linda Johnson Rice, a former director of Tesla, resigned from the firm in 2019 as a result of his drug use and erratic conduct.
In order to maintain SpaceX’s position as the only government contractor authorized to send astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA required Musk to provide guarantees that the company was drug-free. Musk’s decision to smoke marijuana on camera during a recording session of the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in 2018 put him in hot water with the agency.
