Fact Check

Did a Fox News Guest Refer to 'Shooting Up' Marijuana?

Marijuana is typically smoked or consumed.

Published Aug. 23, 2019

Claim:
A Fox News guest referred to people injecting marijuana into their systems.
What's True

David Avella, a Republican strategist and guest of the Fox News talk show "Outnumbered," referenced people injecting marijuana.

What's False

After making the mistake, Avella and the hosts corrected the record immediately.

A Fox News guest on the talk show "Outnumbered" incurred some internet scorn after he accidentally referred to people "shooting up"marijuana, even though he corrected himself moments later.


The Republican strategist did indeed make the comment as a guest on "Outnumbered" on Aug. 22, 2019. Avella and the show's hosts were discussing new "person first" guidelines adopted by San Francisco legislators, would eliminate words like “felon,” “offender,” “convict,” “addict” and “juvenile delinquent,” per the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Going forward, what was once called a convicted felon or an offender released from jail will be a 'formerly incarcerated person,' or a 'justice-involved' person or simply a 'returning resident," the Chronicle reported.

Avella wasn't a fan of that idea. "And the focus ought to be on a society that follows the law, not allowing people to defecate in the streets, not allowing individuals to lay on the street having just shot up with marijuana," he said. The hosts immediately interjected with the word "heroin," and Avella quickly corrected his statement.

Marijuana is not a substance that is injected. It is either smoked or consumed. The digital media and entertainment publication Mashable explained that the idea of injecting weed "is a long-running joke to refer to those so out of the loop, they have no idea how consuming marijuana works."

Sources

Matier, Phil. "SF Board of Supervisors Sanitizes Language of Criminal Justice System."   San Francisco Chronicle. 11 August 2019.

Sung, Morgan. "Fox Gets Weed Wrong Again, Says Homeless People 'Shoot Up' Marijuana."   Mashable.com. 22 August 2019.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more