Elon Musk Calls Banning Drugs A 'Net Societal Negative,' Just Like 'Dumb' Alcohol Prohibition

The debate over when, how and who will finally legalize and/or decriminalize cannabis on a federal level became more heated over the past several months although it's been going on for decades. Advocates had hoped Congress would pull a rabbit out of a hat. Some hoped President Biden would finally use his pen to put an end to a policy with which a growing majority of the country disagrees.

Meanwhile, as cannabis is legal in some form in more than half the country, there are those who are looking at the idea of ​​legalizing all drugs, including cocaine.

Elon Musk Weighs In

Weighing in on the legalization of drugs is Tesla Inc. TSLA and Twitter CEO Elon Musk who apparently believes prohibiting drugs is not the way to go. Using alcohol as an example, Musk called banning it a "dumb" decision that contributed to the rise in crime in America.

Banning alcohol caused the biggest rise in organized crime in American history.

That was dumb.

Same logic applies to other drugs. Alcohol is just a legacy drug.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2022

Though Musk made it clear, according to The Street, that he was not condoning cocaine or endorsing drugs in his response to an exchange that took place on Whole Mars Catalog's Twitter site. "I am not endorsing drugs, but I am saying that the evidence suggests that banning them is a net societal negative," Musk said.

Musk And Psychedelics

Musk has in the past been forthcoming about psychedelic drugs and is not shy about discussing their benefits. He’s also been supportive of cannabis legalization. 

The billionaire shared a chart with a friend, which showed MDMA and psychedelic mushrooms are healthier than alcohol use, according to the friend who told The New York Times.

The Times also reported that for the past 20 years, Musk has attended nearly every Burning Man festival, usually with his younger brother Kimbal Musk and a friend he met there.

"I have been with him on mild exploratory journeys," said David Marglin, a Bay Area lawyer who met Musk at Burning Man. "And he appreciates the value of those journeys. Nothing out of control or wild, but it's all night, and there's dancing and revelry."

More recently, the billionaire said in an interview with Full Send Podcast that he thinks psychedelics can be "pretty helpful" for PTSD and depression.