Air Force is looking into how to handle Elon Musk's pot smoking
- The U.S. Air Force is looking into how to handle Elon Musk apparently smoking weed on a podcast.
- Marijuana use is prohibited for someone with a government security clearance, which Musk may have because of the contracts SpaceX has with the Air Force.
- It is unclear whether a formal investigation will be launched.
The U.S. Air Force is looking into how to handle an incident where Tesla CEO Elon Musk apparently smoked weed on a podcast. Musk is also CEO of SpaceX, the space transportation company, which holds multiple military contracts.
Marijuana use is prohibited for someone with a government security clearance, which Musk may have because of the contracts SpaceX has with the Air Force. It is not clear whether Musk has security clearance or not as CEO of SpaceX.
An Air Force spokesperson, in a statement to CNBC, said: "We will need time to determine the facts and the appropriate process to handle the situation."
A source on Friday told CNBC that the Air Force was looking into the matter on Musk following the podcast.
SpaceX did not respond to multiple CNBC requests for comment on Friday and Monday. It is unclear whether a formal investigation will be launched by the Air Force.
Late Thursday, Musk smoked marijuana and sipped whiskey during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast — adding to concerns about his recreational drug use. He discussed a wide range of topics including his tweeting behavior, his Boring Co.'s flamethrowers, and "neuralink" devices that could connect brains to computers.
Shares of Tesla were down as much as 9 percent Friday after video of the podcast was released, capping a tumultuous month since Musk launched the company into controversy with his take-private tweet. The company also said that its chief accounting officer Dave Morton had resigned after a month on the job.
Tesla shares are back up 5 percent on Monday, trading around $276 a share.
This isn't the first time there's been concern about Musk's drug use. Tesla board members have also raised concerns over Musk's consumption of recreational and prescription drugs, according to The New York Times. In particular, sources told the publication that Musk's use of sleeping aid Ambien may be having a negative effect on the CEO.