Elon Musk banned from SpaceX facility for using banned substances

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may not be granted top security clearance to access some of the company's buildings — even though about 400 of his employees do, according to the Wall Street Journal.

SpaceX lawyers have advised executives against seeking a security clearance upgrade for the unpredictable CEO, which would force him to disclose information about his frequent contacts with foreigners and his drug use.

Musk currently holds a “top secret” security clearance, which gives him access to “some national security secrets,” but not the highest level needed to work on top-secret programs, according to WSJ sources.

Even Musk's current security clearance took years to get, following a 2018 marijuana smoking incident with Joe Rogan on a podcast. SpaceX lawyers are also reportedly considering his use of ketamine, a highly controversial issue in the media.

Mr. Musk in a meeting with NASA staff and leaders. (Photo: AP)

Worse still, if Musk seeks a higher security clearance, he could face the risk of losing his current “top secret” clearance, which has added to the concerns of his lawyers.

But now that Mr Musk has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), those concerns may soon be irrelevant. With his prominent position in the incoming administration, the world’s richest man could soon have easier access to classified information.

Without access to the "Sensitive Compartmented Information" (SCI) level security clearance that SpaceX's several hundred employees possess, Mr. Musk has been kept from some information about the company's spy satellite program, called Starshield. According to the WSJ, he is not even allowed into most of the facilities where related work is being done.

Earlier this year, the WSJ also reported that Mr. Musk had a long history of using psychoactive substances, including LSD and psychedelic mushrooms. However, his lawyer later denied the information, asserting that he “never failed” a drug test at SpaceX.

In a 2023 social media post, CEO Musk wrote that "occasional ketamine use" is a much better option than taking antidepressants, revealing that he has a prescription for the drug when "brain chemistry sometimes gets extremely negative."

Media reports say some board members at Tesla and SpaceX have expressed concerns about his drug use, which has had major consequences for his health and the massive business empire he oversees.

In response to those concerns, Musk said he doesn't think his drug use will affect his government contracts or investor relations. " From a Wall Street perspective, it's about execution. Are you creating value for investors? Tesla is now worth as much as the rest of the auto industry combined... so from an investor perspective, if I'm taking something that helps, I should continue to take it, " he said, adding that he believes his depression is genetic.

According to a WSJ article published in January, people who have observed or known about the world's richest billionaire's drug use said he has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where guests must sign non-disclosure agreements or hand over their phones to enter.

Quartz (Source: Futurism)

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