# WV lawmakers suffer stomach illness after drinking raw milk to celebrate legalizing raw milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437 "2016-03-09T18:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/1 "2016-03-09T18:24:43Z")
> [@](#): > > WV lawmakers suffer stomach illness after drinking raw milk to celebrate legalizing raw milk > > West Virginia lawmaker suffering from a stomach illness > > Not The Onion! > > In the weeks after passing a bill, allowing West Virginians to drink raw milk, one delegate brought the drink in to celebrate and, eventually, several lawmakers have gotten sick. > > Some lawmakers say it’s just a coincidence and a stomach bug is going around. > Coincidence they all drank the raw milk? LOL. > > Several lawmakers say a delegate who sponsored the bill, Scott Cadle (R - Mason, 13), brought in the drinks. > > “[Cadle] caught me in the hallway, offered a cup to me, and you want to try to be a gentleman,” McGeehan said. “I had a small sip and walked away and tossed the rest of it.” > > […] > **[WV lawmakers suffer stomach illness after drinking raw milk to celebrate...](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/9/1498630/-WV-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk)** > > Not The Onion! > > > In the weeks after passing a bill, allowing West Virginians to drink raw milk, one delegate brought the drink in to celebrate and, eventually, several lawmakers have gotten sick. > > Some lawmakers say it's just a coincidence and a ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/2 "2016-03-10T00:11:50Z")
Sometimes conservative ultra-rural areas resemble liberal trendy areas, don’t they? There’s a Portlandia video, but I’m having trouble loading it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/3 "2016-03-10T00:20:43Z")
How many other people in the state drank raw milk and didn’t get sick? I’m glad it is legal. People should have the choice to drink raw or cooked (pasteurized) milk, just like they have the choice to eat raw or cooked meat. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/4 "2016-03-10T00:55:30Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > How many other people in the state drank raw milk and didn’t get sick? > > I’m glad it is legal. People should have the choice to drink raw or cooked (pasteurized) milk, just like they have the choice to eat raw or cooked meat. Just PLEASE label it and make sure that in restaurants and anyplace else there is no chance that someone could order it accidentally. What causes a small stomach ache in most people could cause a woman to lose her baby. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/5 "2016-03-10T01:13:09Z")
Pasteurized milk is the only safe choice, isn’t it? That’s what I’ve been led to believe! ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/6 "2016-03-10T01:18:21Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Just PLEASE label it and make sure that in restaurants and anyplace else there is no chance that someone could order it accidentally. What causes a small stomach ache in most people could cause a woman to lose her baby. It’s explicitly labeled here. Also since it’s ungodly expensive, I cannot imagine anyone would want to try to pass it off as regular milk. It would be like trying to pass off Dom Perignon as Cook’s. You would be bragging about serving it, not trying to get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/7 "2016-03-10T02:02:37Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I’m glad it is legal. People should have the choice to drink raw or cooked (pasteurized) milk, just like they have the choice to eat raw or cooked meat. But _why the hell would you_? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/8 "2016-03-10T02:14:34Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > It’s explicitly labeled here. Also since it’s ungodly expensive, I cannot imagine anyone would want to try to pass it off as regular milk. It would be like trying to pass off Dom Perignon as Cook’s. You would be bragging about serving it, not trying to get away with it. I think my biggest worry is being served something with raw milk at a restaurant. Listeria can kill a fetus, and it can take up the three months to do so. It’s pretty terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/9 "2016-03-10T02:23:13Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > But _why the hell would you_? I have no idea why the hell anyone would eat mushrooms, they’re super disgusting and some of them can kill you…but I don’t want to see it made illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/10 "2016-03-10T02:38:59Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I have no idea why the hell anyone would eat mushrooms, they’re super disgusting and some of them can kill you…but I don’t want to see it made illegal. That doesn’t answer the question though. Seriously, is there some kind of perceived “advantage” of raw milk? Does it taste “better”? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/11 "2016-03-10T02:48:16Z")
Worst bad stomach experience ever! Two tablespoons of unpasteurized milk served in boiled tea. Once I stopped vomiting I began shitting. It was an experience I will never forget. If your digestion is unaccustomed to unpasteurized milk it could react, how shall I say, explosively! Proceed with great caution! ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/12 "2016-03-10T03:14:15Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That doesn’t answer the question though. > > Seriously, is there some kind of perceived “advantage” of raw milk? Does it taste “better”? Sorry, it was hard to tell that was a serious question. I think it tastes better. Creamier and doesn’t have a tinny taste that most traditional milk has for me. I drink it whenever I can afford it, as a luxury. Like you would treat yourself to super quality cheese or cut of meat. Some claim it has better health benefits due to enzymes not being destroyed by the pasteurization process. I have no idea if that’s true. I know people who have been drinking it exclusively for years and have never gotten sick. Others like it because it is less processed, not just unpasteurized, but usually not homogenized. Certainly it has not had the fat separated and then added back in to meet specific fat percentages. Even whole milk has been separated and put back together. I’m simply for people being allowed to choose. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/13 "2016-03-10T03:27:23Z")
Here’s Rationalwiki’s [take](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Raw_milk) on it. ---
**Author:** ![maxjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@maxjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maxjohnson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/14 "2016-03-10T04:01:24Z")
my opinion is rationalwiki is about as useless or often more useless than wikipedia. also dailykos is a useless astroturfing website as well. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/15 "2016-03-10T04:12:04Z")
> [@maxjohnson](#): > > my opinion is rationalwiki is about as useless or often more useless than wikipedia. also dailykos is a useless astroturfing website as well. Hey, that’s great. You’ve changed my worldview. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/16 "2016-03-10T04:34:16Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Seriously, is there some kind of perceived “advantage” of raw milk? Does it taste “better”? I’ve tasted it. It does taste different. As does ultrapasteurized. I don’t like either, but I suspect that’s just because I’m used to normal pasteurized. So I could see someone else preferring the taste. There’s definitely some woo surrounding imaginary health benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/17 "2016-03-10T04:47:00Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Seriously, is there some kind of perceived “advantage” of raw milk? Does it taste “better”? There’s no scientific benefit to drinking raw milk. It’s just that some people believe it’s more natural and therefore must be healthier. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/18 "2016-03-10T04:51:42Z")
Never had any trouble with my goats’ milk. Never felt my mouth was coated with something ick. Best yogurt ever. I had people call begging for milk for their kid who was allergic to cow’s milk, but the law was such that I couldn’t even give it away to anyone not a family member. I had a closed herd, but my dairy goats were vaccinated and tested for TB and brucellosis every year just after kidding. I’d buy raw milk from a certified dairy if I could, rather than the cloudy water that passes for milk in the store. Always fun to watch someone turn green when I offered them my goats’ milk. Farm humor. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/19 "2016-03-10T05:00:12Z")
> [@maxjohnson](#): > > my opinion is rationalwiki is about as useless or often more useless than wikipedia. also dailykos is a useless astroturfing website as well. How is that useful to this discussion? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/20 "2016-03-10T09:24:50Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > my dairy goats were vaccinated and tested for TB and brucellosis every year just after kidding. You have an odd sense of humor. “C’mon, goats! I’m taking you all to Disneyland! JUST KIDDING! You’re all getting vaccinated and tested for TB and brucellosis, LOL.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437.md?page=2)