As Elon Musk became involved in politics last year, the world’s richest person worried his friends with his increasing drug use and erratic behavior, according to an explosive New York Times report published Friday.

“Mr. Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use,” according to the piece, which cited “people familiar with his activities.”

“He told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it,” the report stated.

The Times said it was unclear whether Musk’s drug use continued when he began his White House job overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency in January.

The paper pointed out that one of Musk’s companies, SpaceX, has to maintain a drug-free workspace in order to keep its government contracts and issue drug tests to workers.

“But Mr. Musk has received advance warning of the tests, according to people close to the process,” the Times reported, adding that SpaceX declined to comment for its story.

Musk’s involvement in politics started last year as the 2024 presidential campaign heated up.

In July, he endorsed Donald Trump.

“Around that time, Mr. Musk told people that his ketamine use was causing bladder issues, according to people familiar with the conversations,” the Times reported.

The paper cites Musk’s erratic behavior, including “bouncing up and down” around Trump during an October rally and an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.

At CPAC, Musk was handed a chainsaw by Argentinian President Javier Milei, a leader beloved by the MAGA movement.

“This is the chain saw for bureaucracy!” Mr. Musk shouted to the cheering crowd.

“Some conference organizers told The Times that they did not notice anything out of the ordinary about his behavior behind the scenes. But during an onstage interview, he spoke in disjointed bouts of stuttering and laughing, with sunglasses on. Clips of it went viral as many viewers speculated about possible drug use,” the Times reported.

The piece also delved into Musk’s “increasingly tumultuous” personal life, including fathering more than a dozen children and his effort to keep one of the pregnancies under wraps by offering the mother of one of his children $15 million and $100,000 a month.

The mother, the conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair, rejected the offer.