Elon Musk shared the results of a drug test in an effort to defuse accusations of drug-taking during President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
A bombshell New York Times report, published last month, alleged that Musk, Trump’s biggest donor, was taking ketamine, ecstasy and magic mushrooms, quoting people familiar with his activities.
On Tuesday, weeks after the allegations surfaced, Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) the alleged results of a lab test conducted on June 11 by “Fastest Labs of South Austin” in Texas.
The results, which became available five days after his urine sample was taken, show negative results for amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, cannabinoids, and fentanyl.
Musk did not test positive for any drugs in his system, according to the results he posted.
Prior to posting the results, Musk shared a post from an X user that read: “If Elon is on any drugs, I want what he’s having.”
The allegations in the Times report relate to his alleged use of drugs in 2024, and a test completed in June would not have been able to detect substance abuse from more than six months ago.
The lab results show that Musk only underwent a urine test, which can detect drugs in the body from a shorter time period compared to a hair follicle test, which can typically detect drugs in the system for up to three months according to the Addiction Centre.
Musk previously rejected the allegations, stating: “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.” He went on to accuse the newspaper of “lying.”
In the case of ketamine specifically, a hair test can detect the drug in the body for up to three months, whereas a urine sample can only detect whether it was in a person’s system during the past three days, according to the Addiction Centre.
Blood tests can show the presence of the drug in the system during the past day, and a saliva test can detect ketamine in the body up for to 10 days.
In the Times report, Musk was accused by sources of keeping a trove of narcotics in a daily medication pill box that held about 20 pills. His ketamine use was described as “chronic” and so bad that it led to bladder issues.
The allegations coincided with the Tesla billionaire’s departure from the White House after a 130-day stint as DOGE leader, where he oversaw the slashing of hundreds of thousands of federal jobs.
Trump and Musk then became engaged in a bitter online spat that erupted after the president unveiled his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a proposal that Musk branded “a disgusting abomination.”
Musk then dropped a tweet that claimed that Trump is “in the Epstein files” and that “the real reason” they haven’t been released is the president’s involvement. Trump denied this accusation.
In a remorseful post days later, Musk backtracked on his tirade against the president.
“I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week,” Musk wrote on X in the early hours of the morning. “They went too far.”
New York Times’ managing director Charlie Stadtlander said: “Elon Musk is continuing to lash out because he doesn’t like our reporting. Nothing that he’s said or presented since our article about his drug use during the presidential campaign was published contradicts what we uncovered. We stand by our journalism.”
The Independent contacted Fastest Labs of South Austin and several narcotics-testing experts for comment.
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