Elon Musk Took Ketamine Daily, Sometimes Mixing It With Other Drugs, Explosive NYT Report Finds
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Elon Musk was using ketamine so frequently last year that he complained it was damaging his bladder, according to a bombshell New York Times investigation that details his escalating drug use as he became one of President Donald Trump’s closest political allies.
The report, based on private messages and interviews with more than a dozen people close to Musk, claims his consumption went far beyond what had previously been disclosed – at times involving daily ketamine occasionally mixed with Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms at both private and public gatherings.
While Musk has publicly spoken about his mental health — describing “great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress” —he’s also refused the use of traditional antidepressants. He has said he was prescribed ketamine for depression, taking it “about every two weeks.”
But the Times reports that those familiar with his habits described a pattern that blurred the line between treatment and excess. He reportedly travelled with a medication box containing around 20 pills, including some marked like the stimulant Adderall.
The Times also reports Musk received advance warning of employee drug tests at SpaceX, despite the company’s obligations as a federal contractor to maintain a drug-free workplace. The White House did not respond to questions about whether Musk, who held significant influence during the Trump transition, was ever tested himself.
As the report dropped Friday, Musk was preparing his formal exit from the administration to refocus on his businesses. But the Times notes that concerns had been mounting about his increasingly erratic behavior – including a salute-like gesture at a Trump rally – and his growing entanglements in personal legal disputes and romantic drama.
“There is something seriously wrong with his moral compass,” said author Sam Harris, who publicly severed ties with Musk in January. Another former friend, neuroscientist Philip Low, said he had confronted Musk over the gesture, which he described bluntly as a “Nazi salute.”
Musk declined to comment on the report. He has previously said, “I really don’t like doing illegal drugs.” But according to the Times, his behavior last year left some close to him alarmed, particularly as he assumed an informal but powerful role shaping Trump’s early transition and government overhaul plans.
