The publication highlighted that the use of illicit substances could result in Elon Musk losing his security clearance. Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, stated that there were false facts in the publication’s story about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Musk himself criticized the report, specifically addressing the time he took a puff of marijuana during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He mentioned that he underwent random drug testing for three years at NASA’s request, but no drugs or alcohol were found.
NASA expects its commercial partners to meet all workplace safety requirements, according to a report. The agency stated that it does not have evidence of non-compliance from SpaceX regarding drug and alcohol regulations. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 continues to launch payloads into orbit and bring astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Musk’s goal of making life multiplanetary relies heavily on maintaining the company’s NASA contracts. The report claimed that SpaceX executives expressed concerns about Musk’s possible drug use following a company meeting in 2017, where he was reportedly incoherent at times.
Although SpaceX did not directly address the claims made by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the company released the full video of the 2017 meeting in question. This meeting took place around the same time as Tesla’s challenges with the Model 3 sedan production. In the video, Musk admitted to not having much sleep before the event and was seen stuttering throughout the meeting, which is typical of him. A spokesperson from the WSJ defended the publication’s claims and stated that they stand by their reporting.