WASHINGTON: Elon Musk has denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the 2024 campaign trail.

The New York Times earlier reported the adviser to President Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. It said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In a post on X, Musk said: “To be clear, I am NOT taking drugs! The New York Times was lying.....” He added: “I tried ‘prescription’ ketamine a few years ago and said so on X, so this not even news. It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven’t taken it since then.”

Musk first dodged a question about his drug use at a bizarre farewell appearance with Trump in the Oval Office in which the Tesla and SpaceX boss sported a noticeable black eye.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2025