By Terry Hacienda, the fresh toast
He is known and has helped develop certain revolutionary companies … But will he help the cannabis industry?
Elon Musk joined as an early investor of the Tesla automotive company in 2004, later becoming CEO and product architect in 2008. By taking technology, he pushed the company and cultivated the brand and the following. Using the extended platform, he has become a world player and has now joined the current administration. But what about Elon Musk and the potential future of legal cannabis?
Elon Musk, known for his entrepreneurial thirst and his controversial moments, has an intriguing relationship with cannabis which sometimes crossed political discussions. While Musk smoked marijuana during an appearance in 2018 on industry champion Joe Rogan on his podcast, he later said that he did not inspire and maintained a cautious position on drug use in professional environments. This incident even led NASA to investigate the security of the spacex workplace because of its federal contracts.
Despite these controversies, Musk has sometimes expressed his support for cannabis reforms. In 2024, he tweeted on the need for a reform of criminal justice, in particular by stressing the cannabis paradox deemed “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic while many people remained imprisoned for infractions related to marijuana. His comments were lined up on wider calls for defenders’ reform as the last prisoner project.
However, Musk’s position on cannabis policy remains complex. As head of the Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) under the Trump administration, his actions have not systematically supported the reform. For example, DOGE recently canceled federal funding for a study on the risks of use of cannabis among marginalized groups and advocated the compulsory drug test tests. In addition, Musk did not publicly defend the federal efforts of legalization or decriminalization, even if figures like senator Elizabeth Warren urged her to interrupt federal actions in states with the regulated markets as an economic measure.
Musk’s influence could be essential in the development of cannabis policy. Organizations like Weed For Warriors have called upon to support initiatives take up the challenges of the California cannabis industry, including tax hikes that threaten access to veterans at Marijuana Medical. His ability to influence public opinion and politics – triggered by his role in DOGE – position him as a potential defender of the reform if he chooses to engage more actively.
In the end, while Musk sometimes flirted with the cultivation of cannabis and the rhetoric of reform, his actions suggest a cautious approach rather than a pure and simple support for federal legal or policy changes. That he exploits his considerable influence to put pressure for a significant reform remains uncertain.
Fresh toast is a daily lifestyle platform with one side of cannabis. For more information, visit www.thefreshtoast.com.
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