By Terry Hacienda, The Recent Toast
He’s international identified and helped develop some revolutionary companies…however will he assist the hashish business?
Elon Musk joined as an early investor of the automotive firm Tesla in 2004, later changing into CEO and product architect in 2008. Taking the know-how, he pushed the corporate and grew the model and the next. Utilizing the expanded platform, he has grow to be a worldwide participant and now has joined the present administration. However what about Elon Musk and the potential way forward for authorized hashish?
Elon Musk, identified for his entrepreneurial thirst and controversial moments, has an intriguing relationship with hashish which has sometimes intersected with coverage discussions. Whereas Musk famously smoked marijuana throughout a 2018 look on business champion Joe Rogan on his podcast, he later clarified he didn’t inhale and maintained a cautious stance on drug use in skilled environments. This incident even led NASA to research SpaceX’s office security as a result of its federal contracts.
Regardless of these controversies, Musk has sometimes voiced assist for cannabis-related reforms. In 2024, he tweeted concerning the want for felony justice reform, notably highlighting the paradox of hashish being deemed “essential” through the COVID-19 pandemic whereas many people remained incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses. His feedback aligned with broader requires reform from advocates like The Final Prisoner Mission.
Nevertheless, Musk’s stance on hashish coverage stays advanced. As head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) below the Trump administration, his actions haven’t persistently supported reform. As an example, DOGE lately canceled federal funding for a research on hashish use dangers amongst marginalized teams and advocated for necessary drug testing of federal workers. Moreover, Musk has not publicly championed federal legalization or decriminalization efforts, whilst figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren urged him to halt federal enforcement actions in states with regulated markets as a cost-saving measure.
Musk’s affect could possibly be pivotal in shaping hashish coverage. Organizations like Weed for Warriors have referred to as on him to assist initiatives addressing challenges in California’s hashish business, together with tax hikes that threaten veteran entry to medical marijuana. His potential to sway public opinion and coverage—bolstered by his position in DOGE—positions him as a possible advocate for reform if he chooses to interact extra actively.
In the end, whereas Musk has sometimes flirted with hashish tradition and reform rhetoric, his actions counsel a cautious strategy quite than outright assist for federal legalization or coverage modifications. Whether or not he’ll leverage his appreciable affect to push for significant reform stays unsure.
The Recent Toast is a each day life-style platform with a aspect of hashish. For extra info, go to www.thefreshtoast.com.