After a full day of the internet intimately dissecting Elon Musk’s pot use, reports began to surface that the US Air Force has opened an investigation into the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s drug habit, since SpaceX is a government launch provider. However, an Air Force official tells The Verge that those reports are premature and that the military hasn’t figured out what it’s going to do.
“It’s inaccurate that there is an investigation. We’ll need time to determine the facts and the appropriate process to handle the situation,” an Air Force spokesperson told The Verge.
It’s just one of hundreds of stories that have popped up in the aftermath of Musk smoking weed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. And at first it makes some kind of sense: SpaceX launches satellites for the US Air Force after all, and the use of marijuana is prohibited for those in the military and people with government security clearances.
Fox Business’ Charles Gasparino tweeted that the US Air Force had begun to look into Elon Musk’s smoking, and a story from CNBC then followed. It seems that the initial reports surfaced simply because Gasparino had asked the office about it in the first place, and the Air Force suggested it would follow up with the inquiry. The story grew from there, and now it appears the Air Force is going to spend its weekend like the rest of us: overthinking a billionaire taking one weak puff from a joint.
It’s possible we’ll hear more about a formal investigation next week, but just like Musk’s appearance on the podcast, it could turn out to be a bunch of smoke and no fire.
