“This isn’t heroin. Some people are going to get it regardless. All you’ve done by banning it is make it really expensive and really difficult to buy.”
Since 1987, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that 143 deaths from various illnesses in the US have been linked to raw milk, and that diseases picked up by those who drink it can then be passed on to other people.
Committed anti-vaxxers
The milk can contain salmonella, E. coli and various other harmful bacteria that would normally be removed through pasteurisation.
The FDA and another federal agency, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued recent warnings that drinking raw milk could lead to the spread of bird flu.
Both agencies are widely distrusted by Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) wing of the Republican Party – some of whom are committed anti-vaxxers.
Others simply think that the Government has no business in demanding their milk be pasteurised – and that raw milk bans are the product of big dairy industry lobbyists operating in the “swamp”.
“Our citizens have the right to buy those products even though they have risks associated with them,” said Kimberly Coates, a Republican state representative, during the passage of Louisiana’s recent bill.
Danny McCormick, a GOP colleague, added: “I figure free people drink what free people want to drink. This is still America.”
In a world where health regulations are another front in the war on wokery, drinking raw milk has become an act of civil resistance.
Turning Point USA, a right-wing campaign group, sells t-shirts with the slogan “Got raw milk?” – a play on the long-running “Got milk?” advertising campaign by the dairy industry.
Far-right media outlets like InfoWars and The Blaze have been promoting raw milk, arguing that the pasteurisation process is a government conspiracy and that it is safe for consumers to drink.
Online, raw milk bootleggers share tips on how to smuggle it into places where it is banned.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
