# Should raw milk be illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449 "2014-01-22T14:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ktribe808](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@ktribe808](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ktribe808)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/1 "2014-01-22T14:18:55Z")
I am a huge fan of raw milk, but in many states it is illegal to sell it. Luckily, my state is not one of them. I grew up on raw milk as my cousins had a diary farm and to this day, I cannot stomach the pasteurized stuff. IMO, it is important to know your source - I get mine from grass-fed cows on an Amish farm. I also get raw milk cheeses and yogurt. However, where raw milk is illegal, farmers have been raided, prosecuted and even sent to jail for selling raw milk. What do you think - should raw milk be illegal? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/2 "2014-01-22T14:42:24Z")
[Some](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=431691) [previous](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=699938) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=662257) [on](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620879) [the](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574528) [subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=458882). ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/3 "2014-01-22T14:46:45Z")
If it is legal, I want it labeled like hazardous waste, especially in restaurants and other venues where it may not be apparent. It is very risky for pregnant women, and they have enough to worry about without also having to research every glass of milk they drink. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/4 "2014-01-22T15:00:21Z")
Hmm, should I take the side of the FDA, CDC, and a variety of doctors, or the side of somebody with something to profit from? Long story short, we invented pasteurization for a reason. There’s very little nutritional difference between pasteurized and unpasteurized. I’m more than happy letting raw milk stay illegal. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/5 "2014-01-22T15:05:10Z")
Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria aren’t a big deal. [Oh, wait, . .yes they are.](http://www.livescience.com/18696-raw-milk-disease-outbreaks-cdc.html) That said, I have no problem with others choosing risky behaviors. Go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/6 "2014-01-22T15:07:50Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > If it is legal, I want it labeled like hazardous waste, especially in restaurants and other venues where it may not be apparent. It is very risky for pregnant women, and they have enough to worry about without also having to research every glass of milk they drink. Is this a real problem? Do restaurants use raw milk? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/7 "2014-01-22T15:25:33Z")
I don’t think anything should be illegal. As long as it is truthfully labeled and unbiased information about the product is available to the consumer. I feel I ought to be able to buy chemotherapy at Walgreens without a prescription if I feel like it, so of course I feel the same way about milk. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/8 "2014-01-22T15:29:17Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I don’t think anything should be illegal. **As long as it is truthfully labeled and unbiased information about the product** is available to the consumer. I feel I ought to be able to buy chemotherapy at Walgreens without a prescription if I feel like it, so of course I feel the same way about milk. And there’s the problem. Ever look around the internet? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/9 "2014-01-22T15:38:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Is this a real problem? Do restaurants use raw milk? In cheeses, yeah. When pregnant, I had an especially hard time at upscale restaurants and Salvadorian places- both of which like to surprise you with house-made raw milk cheeses. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/10 "2014-01-22T15:39:34Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > And there’s the problem. Ever look around the internet? Right, ever watched a government PSA? If the government would actually inform the public about the risks and benefits of drugs, food, etc, rather than fool them with politically motivated propaganda, we wouldn’t have to worry about what sort of bullshit random idiots on the internet spew. As it is, finding unbiased information about the things we put into our bodies is _hard_. I think the government’s role should be to provide easily understandable, unbiased education to the consuming public, rather than ban all sorts of things and then blast us with misleading propaganda and ads. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/11 "2014-01-22T15:39:39Z")
As long as it’s produced by small organic farms in small quantities, I don’t see any problem with raw milk – the people buying it have to seek it out, and they know what they’re getting. However, the health benefits that proponents espouse sound like woo, and I see no reason to abandon a very successful public health campaign like mandatory pasteurization in order to appease the woo-mongers and satisfy demand for a product whose main benefit seems to be “some people really like the taste.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/12 "2014-01-22T15:41:36Z")
> [@ktribe808](#): > > IMO, it is important to know your source - I get mine from grass-fed cows on an Amish farm. Have you ever _been_ to an Amish farm? Just because they’re not shooting their cows up with drugs and growing GMO corn doesn’t mean the place is clean and healthy. Quite the opposite. Yech. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/13 "2014-01-22T15:42:25Z")
it should be legal with restrictions like only being sold by the producer (farmer or dairy). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/14 "2014-01-22T15:46:18Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Right, ever watched a government PSA? If the government would actually inform the public about the risks and benefits of drugs, food, etc, rather than fool them with politically motivated propaganda, we wouldn’t have to worry about what sort of bullshit random idiots on the internet spew. > > As it is, finding unbiased information about the things we put into our bodies is _hard_. I think the government’s role should be to provide easily understandable, unbiased education to the consuming public, rather than ban all sorts of things and **then blast us with misleading propaganda and ads.** You mean like Mercola and Wakefield and others of their ilk? I tend to think the gov’t info is far more accurate in general than the woosters. And the inaccuracies tend to be more politically driven( like marijuana) than a desire to deceive for profit. ---
**Author:** ![krunen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@krunen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krunen)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/15 "2014-01-22T15:46:37Z")
A tip I use is to mix skimmed milk and full cream 1:6. Here in Norway these are pasteurized at lower temperatures (and have a shorter sell-by period). This mix tastes quite close to raw milk. Makes a great cocoa with a little extra cream. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/16 "2014-01-22T15:46:43Z")
I think it should be legal for direct purchase from a farmer, but I don’t think it should be legal for any type of resale. If you want it, drive to the farm (or the farmer’s market) and buy it from the source. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/17 "2014-01-22T15:48:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Is this a real problem? Do restaurants use raw milk? They can’t right now, because the law prohibits it. That’s **Sven** ’s point: right now, you can’t consume raw milk inadvertently. You have to deliberately seek it out. If the current laws were changed, that might not remain true. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/18 "2014-01-22T15:57:35Z")
But if they make it illegal, what will the momma cows feed their babies?!? Actually, I to; " I grew up on raw milk" on “a diary farm and to this day, I cannot stomach the pasteurized stuff.” Make it legal, with restrictions for safety and honesty. Kick the manure out of anyone that doesn’t follow the rules and leave the honest people alone. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/19 "2014-01-22T15:59:51Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > They can’t right now, because the law prohibits it. That’s **Sven** ’s point: right now, you can’t consume raw milk inadvertently. You have to deliberately seek it out. If the current laws were changed, that might not remain true. This. Although one still has to be careful at some upscale and ethnic eateries that serve ultra-local or house made cheeses. Not everyone follows the law. If it’s improve labeling, I might even be for legalizing it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449/20 "2014-01-22T16:00:08Z")
Well, if “restrictions for safety and honesty” isn’t a workable policy standard, I don’t know what is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-raw-milk-be-illegal/679449.md?page=2)