LITTLE ROCK — Was Mariah Cary high the other night?

By Mariah Cary, I don’t mean the singer and American Idol judge.

And by high, I mean hitting something else besides big notes.

Mariah Cary — the one with no “e” in her surname — is Miss Iowa, who competed at last weekend’s Miss America 2013 pageant in Las Vegas (where she did not attempt to belt out “Hero” or “Vision of Love,” but rather stuck to tap-dancing as her talent).

The 20-year-old woman is a student at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, where she hopes to obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public relations, with a minor in Spanish.

But first, she’s going to have to work on her English.

Cary, who made it to the pageant’s top five, was asked to answer a current events question: “Marijuana is by far the most frequently used illegal drug in America. But now voters in two states have supported legalization for recreational use. Is this the right direction for our country?”

Her answer: “I think that depends on the situation, and I personally know people who have had to go to medical marijuana for their last resort for their health care. And I completely agree with that.”

Not bad so far. She weeded out the main point bluntly enough.

But then Mary Jane, I mean, Mariah concluded her position with a contradiction and everything went to, well, pot.

“However, I do not think it should be used for anything but recreational use and health care,” she said in the most glorious pageant word goof since the 2007 ramblings by Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caitlin Upton. (We are reefering — uh, referring — to Upton’s answer about why one-fifth of Americans can’t locate the United States on a map: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the US should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.”)

It took no time for Cary — relegated to the fourth runner- up spot — to become a trending topic and be stoned via social media. (Tweeted one person: BREAKING NEWS: Miss Iowa, Mariah Cary, has just been named Miss 4:20! May her reign be long, and full of easy to reach snacks.”)

She might not be Miss America. But she could always be crowned Miss NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

Cary has since turned to Twitter to say she’s sorry for her tongue-tied moment. She was mistoking, er, mistaken.

Too bad her explanation also sounded chronically confused.

She Tweeted, and we quote: “I apologize for the slip up with words in my on stab question..hope u all know what I meant ...so blessed!! Top 5 at miss America!”

No, we have no idea what u meant at all, Miss Iowa.

Wait, “stab’’? What’s a “stab question”?

And if someone gets a “stab question,” are they entitled to medical marijuana for their last resort ... in recreational use and health care?

It’d be dope if you’d e-mail:

[email protected]

Spin Cycle is a weekly smirk at pop culture and a weekly segment on Little Rock’s KURB-FM, B98.5 at 7 a.m.Thursdays. Listen live and hear podcasts at b98. com.

Style, Pages 49 on 01/20/2013