Billionaire Elon Musk uses small doses of the psychedelic drug ketamine to treat depression and occasionally takes full doses of it when he attends parties, reported The Wall Street Journal. The publication cited individuals who have seen him use ketamine as well as other people with direct knowledge.
According to the paper, Mr Musk has told friends he “microdoses” the drug, taking small amounts to help manage depression.
Further, the SpaceX entrepreneur in a Twitter conversation about depression treatment also mentioned the benefits of ketamine, citing the example of friends.
He wrote, ''Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people, it really is a brain chemistry issue. But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I've seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option.''
Ketamine, an anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, is a controlled substance in the US and can only be legally administered by a medical professional. The drug is sold as a white powder, dissolved in liquid or in pill form.
He had previously also tweeted about ketamine, saying, ''I've talked to many more people who were helped by psychedelics & ketamine than SSRIs & amphetamines.''
Notably, Mr. Musk's alleged use of ketamine is part of a growing trend by Silicon Valley executives who have engaged in the recreational use of psychedelics for boosting business performance and creativity, as per WSJ. Several prominent figures in Silicon Valley have explored micro-dosing substances such as ketamine, magic mushrooms, and LSD to enhance creativity. Google cofounder Sergey Brin reportedly takes ‘magic mushrooms', which contain the hallucination-inducing chemical psilocybin.
A spokesperson for Founders Fund, San Francisco-based venture capital firm, told The Journal: “Research shows that psychedelics can provide significant mental health benefits, and we support public and private sector efforts to make these drugs safely and legally available.”
In 2018, the Twitter owner courted controversy after smoking cannabis on an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast. He claimed that he and SpaceX employees were subjected to regular drug tests after the incident.
