Did NASA Pay SpaceX $5 Million So Its Employees Won’t Smoke Weed?

NASA allegedly paid SpaceX $5 million to conduct a review within the company to ensure that its employees are not using illegal drugs. The agency reportedly made the move after the company’s founder Elon Musk was filmed while smoking marijuana last year.

Musk’s controversial video came from a live interview he had for Joe Rogan’s podcast in September 2018. The tech mogul was filmed smoking marijuana during the interview.

Due to the incident, NASA reportedly ordered SpaceX, which is its contractor, to carry out a workplace culture review to ensure that none of its employees are using illegal substances, Politico reported. To ensure that the review is conducted properly, the space agency reportedly funded SpaceX $5 million.

Although the use of marijuana is legal in California, which is where SpaceX’s headquarters is located, the substance is still considered illegal on a federal level. This means federal employees, as well as contractors, are not allowed to use it.

According to SpaceX, it will use the funding from NASA to cover the cost of the workplace culture review. The company noted that the review will include carrying out interviews on all of its employees, regardless of their position.

In a recent statement, NASA admitted that it gave SpaceX additional funding to conduct a safety assessment within the company. The agency noted that the goal of the assessment is to ensure that all projects carried out by SpaceX for NASA will be completed in a safe manner.

"NASA awarded a contract modification to SpaceX for $5 million to complete an Organizational Safety Assessment,” a representative from the space agency told Business Insider. “It is standard practice for a company to receive an equitable adjustment for work outside the original scope of the contract.”

“As with all we do, the ultimate goal is astronaut and public safety for the important missions the companies are undertaking for the American public,” the representative added.

NASA’s other contractor Boeing was also reportedly ordered by the space agency to conduct a similar assessment. However, unlike SpaceX, Boeing reportedly did not receive additional funding for the workplace culture review.