Elon Musk Questions CBD’s Effectiveness on Joe Rogan’s Podcast
Nearly two years after his infamous appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast—where he openly smoked a joint with marijuana—well-known entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk returned for a new episode of the show. This time, however, Musk found himself in a minor disagreement with the host after he questioned the effectiveness of CBD, a non-psychoactive, therapeutic compound found in the cannabis plant.
Debate Over CBD’s Benefits
The new interview focused on cannabis reform, which continues to spread across various regions of the United States. Recalling their previous conversation, Joe Rogan, who has since moved from California to Texas, noted at the start of the interview that he can no longer freely use marijuana in his new home due to strict local laws. However, he pointed out that he can now legally purchase and use CBD extracts, which were recently legalized by the Texas government.
This statement prompted an unexpected reaction from Musk, who claimed that, in his opinion, CBD is “media-hyped nonsense” and “not real” marijuana. “It basically does nothing, right?” he concluded in his tirade against CBD.
“Not if you’re talking about getting high. But on the other hand, this so-called ‘hyped nonsense’ is actually very effective for treating chronic pain and inflammation, as millions of people around the world can confirm,” Rogan replied. “Besides that, it’s being tested as a treatment for many other conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, both here in the U.S. and in many other countries. Finally, many people use CBD extracts from industrial hemp to manage epilepsy and various psychological disorders like anxiety, PTSD, chronic depression, and autism. So no, I can’t agree with your claim that CBD is just a fake.”
“You don’t even have to smoke or vape it,” Rogan continued. “In many cases, including most regions of our country, CBD is used in the form of capsules, tablets, ointments, and other topical products. In all these forms, the compound has noticeable therapeutic effects. It’s also used together with THC extracts—the psychoactive cannabinoid that causes intoxication—to reduce those effects and enhance the healing properties of other compounds in cannabis or its oils.”
Concerns About Legal Risks
Additionally, Musk argued that he doesn’t see much point in using a substance that can smell like marijuana, potentially putting users at risk of being detained by police, especially in regions where recreational marijuana is still banned. “As I mentioned, CBD extracts are made into all sorts of products, many of which don’t need to be smoked or vaped at all,” Rogan responded. “Even when used in these ‘traditional’ ways, CBD extracts rarely produce the characteristic marijuana smell, since they’re often purified of terpenes and other cannabinoids that create that aroma. There may be real risks of arrest if you use cheaper, poorly purified products, but even then, I think such misunderstandings with authorities can usually be resolved quickly and quietly, without any dramatic arrests.”
Aftermath of Musk’s Previous Appearance
It’s worth noting that Musk’s previous visit to the show, particularly his marijuana-smoking stunt, came at a cost: Tesla’s stock price dropped by about 6% due to investor panic over his “bold” gesture. As a result, Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer, Dave Morton, submitted his resignation. Just weeks after the interview, Musk caused another stir at the company by tweeting—apparently as a joke—that he would sell Tesla shares at $420 each. Following another spike in stock prices, the board of directors asked him to step down to “protect the company’s reputation.”
Beyond Tesla, Musk’s joint-smoking also affected his other company, SpaceX, which underwent a safety audit by its key client, NASA. NASA administrators were concerned that such “laxity” from the company’s leader could negatively impact the work quality of engineers on the Dragon rocket project, which had received hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funding. Ultimately, the audit found no violations related to marijuana use among company employees, leading the board to issue an official press release criticizing the founder’s “immature” sense of humor.