--- title: "Elon Musk Had to Prove He’s “Not a Drug Addict” After Smoking Weed With Joe Rogan" description: "Somehow, Elon Musk's 2018 blunt rip on Joe Rogan's show is still making news — but mostly because he can't stop talking about it. " date: "2022-08-05" modified: "2022-08-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-weed-joe-rogan-test-drug-addict" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "cannabis" - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Had to Prove He’s “Not a Drug Addict” After Smoking Weed With Joe Rogan ![Somehow, Elon Musk's 2018 blunt rip on Joe Rogan's show is still making news — but mostly because the toker in question can't stop talking about it. ]() *\Image: Joe Rogan Experience via YouTube\* ## Blaze It Somehow, Elon Musk's [2018 blunt rip on Joe Rogan's show]() is still making news — but mostly because the Tesla CEO [can't stop talking about it](). In a lengthy interview on the "Full Send Podcast," the billionaire claimed that after he was filmed smoking a fat joint on Rogan's podcast, the federal government began to administer "random" drug tests on him. "I had to have, like, random drug tests and stuff after that," Musk told one of the podcast hosts, "to prove that I'm not, like, a drug addict." https://twitter.com/fullsendpodcast/status/1555381539935903744 ## High Consequences He went on to explain that "because SpaceX has federal contracts" and that cannabis is "still illegal federally," the toke heard round the world allegedly upset federal regulators — though, according to Musk, it was his companies' competitors that put the government up to it. "The SpaceX competitors were like 'why aren't you doing anything? Look at him brazenly smoking weed on Joe Rogan's podcast,'" Musk said in an apparent impression of his unnamed rivals. "Unfortunately it wasn't just me," he claimed, "but the whole company, [the whole of SpaceX](), had to have random drug tests." Although these claims might sound exaggerated, it's not entirely unheard of given that as a company with large grants from the US government, SpaceX is legally bound to uphold a "drug-free workplace" per the [Drugfree Workplace Act of 1988](). Musk did not cite which agency or agencies conducted the random drug testing, though the law is enforced by the Department of Health's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is, per [guidelines listed by SpaceX's fellow federal contractor]() ThermoFisher Scientific, administered via urine test. Futurism has reached out to SAMHSA and SpaceX for comment. ## Free Them All In the interview, Musk also reiterated an [apparently long-held belief]() that people should not be imprisoned for cannabis or other "non-violent drug crimes" — and joked about how crappy he was and remains at smoking pot. "I don't even know how to smoke a joint, obviously," he laughed. "I mean look at me, I have no joint-smoking skills." No arguments from us there. **More on Elonworld:** [*Elon Musk Responds to Rumors That He's Building His Own Texas Airport*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()