Elon Musk has never hesitated to take controversial positions on hot domestic and geopolitical topics.
The serial entrepreneur wants history to recognize him as a major innovator. And to achieve this goal, he uses his influence to try to help solve the world's problems.
For example, Musk, who has become an icon for those who claim to ardently defend free speech, last year took a stand on the sensitive debate about weapons in the U.S.
"I strongly believe that the right to bear arms is an important safeguard against potential tyranny of government. Historically, maintaining their power over the people is why those in power did not allow public ownership of guns,” Musk told CNBC last May. He spoke after a shooter massacred 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in south Texas.
"Assault rifles should at minimum require a special permit, where the recipient is extremely well vetted [in my opinion]," he added on Twitter.
Rarely do CEOs take such clear and public positions on topics of this sort.
Musk Proposes a Solution to Taiwan-China Issue
Tesla moved its headquarters from Fremont, Calif., to Austin in December 2021. SpaceX, Musk's rocket company, also has a launch facility in Boca Chica, in the Lone Star State.
The billionaire, who also lives in Texas, made another controversial move on a sensitive topic. He offered a plan to solve the Taiwan issue. Taiwan is a major source of tensions between the U.S. and China.
"My recommendation ... would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," Musk told the Financial Times last October. "And it's possible, and I think probably, in fact that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong."
Basically, the billionaire believes Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, must have some control over the island. Taiwan currently has an independent government.
Musk's remarks came at a time of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the sovereignty of Taiwan. President Joe Biden has warned China that the U.S. would militarily defend Taiwan in the event of an armed conflict.
Now, he's taken another iconoclastic position on a topic of huge public interest.
'We Should Legalize' Fentanyl: Musk
Musk has called for legalizing fentanyl, an opioid seen as at the center of the drug crisis that is rocking San Francisco and other cities.
It all started with a critical tweet from the venture capitalist Mike Solana, arguing against using the term "drug workers" to refer to fentanyl sellers.
"New dystopian language just dropped," he said on April 10 on Twitter.
Musk, however, took the opposite view, saying it was time to legalize fentanyl because regulating it could help reduce overdoses and crime rates.
"I think we should legalize it," the billionaire said. "The probability of overdose or a bad batch is greatly reduced if there is actual QA & regulation."
He continued: "Also, crime flourishes when substances are made illegal. Alcohol is very much a 'drug' – it’s just a legacy drug from olden times when we had no technology!"
To further justify his position, the tech mogul argued that before alcohol was relegalized, there was a strong increase in organized crime. The billionaire therefore says we should extrapolate from the alcohol precedent to fentanyl.
"Prohibition of alcohol in the United States caused the greatest increase in organized crime in our history. How many times do we have to learn this lesson!?"
Musk's call for legalization is not shared by many Twitter users, who say it is too hard a drug to be legalized.
"Agree, except I worry about fentanyl," commented the angel investor and podcaster Jason Calacanis, who is also a friend of Musk. "Not sure if a superdrug at that scale can even be distributed safely... of course, we have nothing to lose at this point with ~9 overdoses a day in SF!"
Some Twitter users agreed with Musk that a new approach is needed.
"I can get behind this argument," said one user. "Legalizing drugs will allow for regulated and safe usage, leading to fewer deaths and lower crime. Prices will crash, meaning Mexican drug cartels will go out of business. The war on drugs hasn’t stopped them, let’s try a better approach."
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a strong painkiller, an opioid like morphine, codeine, oxycodone and methadone. Typically, fentanyl is prescribed as an extended-release patch for people with chronic severe pain.
The substance is far more potent than most other opioids – up to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is therefore a very dangerous drug, experts say, when it is not used under medical supervision. Even a small excess amount can cause an overdose and be fatal.
Fentanyl is sold in powder or pill form, or mixed with heroin or cocaine. Since this type of fentanyl is usually sold mixed into another substance, people swallow it, snort it and inject it without realizing what they are taking, experts say.
