Elon Musk's announcement that he was taking prescription ketamine to treat depression was brave and “saved a lot of people from killing themselves,” CNBC anchor Jim Cramer said Tuesday. “I'm defending it as much as I can because there are a lot of people who won't be brave enough to admit they're taking this drug,” Kramer said on “Squawk on the Street.” Cramer was interacting with the Tesla CEO who told former CNN anchor Don Lemon that the treatment is helping him and is good for investors. “Ketamine is helpful in getting rid of a negative state of mind,” Mask Lemon said. “If there's something I'm taking, I have to keep taking it.” The video was posted five days after Musk canceled Lemon's deal for a new talk show on X, the billionaire entrepreneur's social network formerly called Twitter. The interview was supposed to be the first episode. “It's a shame,” Kramer said. Musk admits he has depression and admits he's taking a drug that has helped millions of people and “that's why he's being ridiculed?” Kramer said. “Why should we care that he needs a legal substance so he can create things that you and I cannot create?” Kramer said he worked with Johnson & Johnson to understand the benefits of ketamine for treating depression. “This medication is a safe rescuer; a safe rescuer, which means it has saved a lot of people from killing themselves.” The Food and Drug Administration in 2019 approved J&J's ketamine-like nasal spray to treat depression in patients who have not benefited from two or more antidepressants. “I hope people realize from this guy that he just saved a lot of lives. I don't think he meant it, but he did,” Kramer said. Over the years, the “Mad Money” host has defended Musk's brilliance as a visionary but also questioned some of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's statements and positions on controversial issues. Musk's use of ketamine was reported in the Wall Street Journal in January, in the context of concerns raised by some Tesla and SpaceX executives. Ketamine was recently in the news because “Friends” actor Matthew Perry's autopsy report said he died from “acute effects of ketamine.” Ketamine is controversial because of its reputation as a party drug known as Special K. If you are having suicidal thoughts or are experiencing distress, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988 for support and help from a trained counselor.
