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Fox 10 News anchor Kari Lake drew a lot of heat this week because of an imprudent tweet. Lake tweeted: “What did I say?! #RedForEd is nothing more than a push to legalize pot. Check this out. T-shirts are already printed!! This is a big push to legalize pot and to make it more savory by tossing teachers a bone with a substantial raise. #IHateTheDishonesty”
Lake heard a big backlash on Twitter, and was later forced to issue an apology, AZ Central reports.
She said in an apology during the 9 p.m. Wednesday Fox 10 News broadcast: “I’d like to take a moment to address a tweet I posted yesterday that upset a lot of people. It was addressing two big issues facing Arizona: teacher pay and the effort to legalize recreational marijuana. I made an incorrect conclusion in my tweet and for that I’m sorry.”
She went on to say, “I respect teachers deeply and I’m concerned that some are trying to use the teachers’ fight for higher pay to move forward with their own separate agendas. As a parent, and the daughter of a public school teacher, I have nothing but respect for teachers and the amazing work they do every day.”
Shockingly, Lake went a step further by posting on her Facebook page asking whether marijuana legalization has been the goal of the #RedForEd movement since the beginning. She posted: “Keep hearing calls for legalizing pot to fund teacher raises. Starting to think that has been the end-game all along. How much Legalize-Pot $$ is being poured into Red For Ed? Or are the legalize-pot-folks just piggybacking on the teacher pay issue? Either way, it seems unsavory.”
Efforts to legalize marijuana are currently circulating. Representatives Mark Cardenas and Todd Clodfelter are leading one of those efforts.
Cardenas said, “I saw the tweet and got a good laugh out of it. Seems that many thought the past week attempted to undermine or imply that #RedForEd was started for nefarious reasons. The reason for #RedForEd is simple: more school funding.”
Cardenas and Clodfelter also said that some of the marijuana tax revenue from legalization would help to partially fund the education budget needed to meet teachers’ demands.
A hearing is not yet scheduled for the marijuana legalization bill but could be discussed as education budget negotiations heat up. Cardenas and Clodfelter are still working on getting the necessary votes to show ample support for their legislation bill.
Cardenas said, “We’re still working hard to get the votes. We cannot bring it up for a vote until we do. Other lawmakers are much more receptive now.”
Photo: @karilakefox10
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