I’ve done a lot of reading on this. More than I should have, actually.

Let me preface this by saying that I am strongly against all types of (illegal or addictive) drugs.

HOWEVER… I believe that the media is making a bigger deal of this than it might actually be.

The details are this: Elon Musk joined Joe Rogan on a live stream. During the live stream, Musk and Rogan smoked a type of joint with tobacco and marijuana in it. Musk said that he ‘almost never smoked’ and did not notice any effects. He also said that he didn’t believe smoking was good for productivity.

Things got a little out of hand, however, because only around 85,000 people watched the livestream while hundreds of thousands more people read the media coverage. I am pretty sure that every single person interested in this question has seen the picture of Musk holding the joint while smoke hovers in the air.

Musk is in accordance with all of Tesla’s policies on drug use. It is perfectly legal to smoke that type of joint in California. Technically, he hasn’t done anything wrong.

I believe that this was a mistake, however. Musk is fairly renowned for being clean, once being quoted by Adeo Ressi as ‘the most straight-laced guy I’ve ever met’.

This interview diminshed that image, and worse, the coverage made it sound like Musk was going off the rails. Throughout the entire interview, Musk talked perfectly rationally in that quiet, slightly stuttering voice of his.

There was no indication that Musk was any different from normal, yet the pictures and coverage that he had started smoking marijuana has already damaged Tesla’s stock.

Ultimately, this shouldn’t be a huge piece of media. Musk smoked only trace amounts of marijuana, did not feel effects, and acted calm and rational throughout the livestream.

But because of the coverage of this event, I believe it will further damage Musk’s reputation and Tesla’s stock. I hope that people see what actually happened during the interview and I hope the readers of this answer are able to spread this message and keep the headlines from interfering further with Musk’s businesses.