‘After that one puff’ Musk responds to drug addiction controversy

Tesla and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk has responded to the allegations of drug addiction, saying: “After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at Nasa’s request, to do 3 years of random drug testing.” 

However, he emphasised that no trace quantities of any drugs or alcohol were found in the tests.

Alex Spiro, Musk’s attorney, said that Musk undergoes regular and random drug testing at SpaceX and has never failed a test. Spiro referred to the Wall Street Journal article as containing “false facts” without specifying them.

The report also mentioned Linda Johnson Rice, a former Tesla director, who reportedly did not seek reelection in 2019 due to frustrations with Musk’s behaviour and concerns about his drug use. 

Elon Musk, with a net worth of $219.4 billion, oversees six companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), The Boring Co., Neuralink, and xAI, making him the wealthiest individual according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Wall Street Journal reported growing concerns among executives and board members at Elon Musk’s companies regarding his drug use. According to unidentified sources familiar with Musk and his businesses, the billionaire entrepreneur reportedly used substances such as LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms, and ketamine, often at private parties.

Witnesses and individuals with knowledge of the matter, as cited by the Journal, claimed that Musk’s drug use is ongoing, with a particular emphasis on ketamine. Musk previously stated in August that he has a prescription for ketamine as an antidepressant.

The controversy surrounding Musk’s drug use intensified after a September 2018 incident on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he smoked a blunt containing marijuana. Following this, the Pentagon reviewed Musk’s federal security clearance linked to his role as the CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.