You can take the government out of Elon Musk (finally!), but it’s harder to take the Elon Musk out of government. The former Big DOGE has hung up his MAGA hat and bedazzled chainsaw in an official capacity after 130 days—longer than Britney Spears’ 2004 marriage to Jason Alexander; shorter than her union with Kevin Federline—but the influence of some of his personal philosophies appears to linger on. Reporting published by the New York Times Friday detailed Musk’s apparent use of a wide variety of psychiatric and recreational drugs. But! A twist! Or maybe not? Some of those drugs are endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his so-called MAHA movement as preferred alternatives for mainstream SSRI medications. (Musk did not respond immediately to Vanity Fair’s request for comment, nor did Musk or his attorney respond to the Times’ request for comment.)
In the past, Musk has attributed his drug use to treatment: he told Don Lemon in 2024 that he uses “small amounts” of ketamine to manage depression.
“If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work,” Musk said then.
According to new reporting in the Times, the amount is anything but small, and Musk imbibes psychedelics, including mushrooms and ecstasy in addition to ketamine, often enough that he allegedly told people close to him that it was “causing bladder issues,” in the Grey Lady’s delicate wording. We’ll say it: This guy wants to colonize Mars, and fully believes that he’ll be the one to make it a reality, but he can’t trust a fart.
Kennedy, too, endorses alternative treatments like ketamine over traditional psychiatric drugs to manage mental health disorders. He has claimed that patients who use SSRIs to manage conditions such as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders are “addicts” and falsely linked use of the medication to school shootings. During his failed presidential run in 2024, he proposed the creation of “wellness farms” to wean people off their prescription drugs. In Kennedy’s vision, psychedelics should be regulated and prescribed, while the SSRIs that he has alluded to being more addictive than heroin should recede. (Kennedy is a recovering heroin addict.)
Yes, some studies of Ketamine, MDMA, and other psychedelics have shown that minimal use can be an effective treatment for some people, and some symptoms. Work in some of the very same peer-reviewed journals that Kennedy wants to ban scientists from being allowed to publish in supports further research into the possible medical benefits of these drugs. But psychiatric treatments famously are not one-size-fits-all, and SSRIs and other meds are proven to have helped millions of people daily. Also, while some researchers have pointed out upsides of psychedelics in treatment, not a one of those upsides is “patients may repeatedly throw Nazi salutes on the national stage.”
Musk and Kennedy’s opinions on specific medications may diverge—the Times reported that Musk “traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it”—but both appear to support a Mad Libs-esque DIY approach to health. Musk, snoozing in his office and treating mass job eliminations like a college robotics team hack-a-thon lock-in, allegedly mix-and-matched his drug intake including Ecstasy and mushrooms among the prescription pills. Kennedy, who recently said, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me”—a heartening statement from the guy who’s in charge of all the health oh my god—has proposed something of an elimination diet for healthcare. Take it all away, and then just…see what happens? Vaccines are in Choose Your Own Adventure territory. A recent report published by Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services can be summed up as “put some kale on it!”
Perhaps it’s time we set aside a few minutes to reflect on whether the guy who thinks a good way to combat possible future bird flu outbreaks is to import ostriches who have bird flu, perhaps an idea he came up with while swimming with his grandkids in a literal shit creek, and the other guy, who’s pooping his pants and apparently trying to impregnate anyone who looks like they may have a uterus, are the best models for the country’s health.
