It really bugs me... page

[MEversbergII]

...that if I go to my local grocery store, gas station or whatnot, they're allowed to sell me any of the FIFTY bloody brands of cigarettes - KNOWN AND ADMITTED POISONS - but not raw milk. Nor can anyone who has a cow.

In fact, if you do in the U.S., they appear to raid the ever loving crap out of you, like what happened to "Rawsome Foods" some months back.

Gah, this country, sometimes.

M.

[vintageeats]

Ever watch Farmaggeddon? Have a look and increase your horror at who gets punished for endangering the public :-/

[EagleRiverDee]

It depends where you are, but yeah I know a lot of places have made raw milk illegal.

Some places get around that by selling shares to "condo cows" where the owners of the cow all get some of the milk. Since they technically own the cow, it's not illegal.

[sbhikes]

I can buy raw milk at the store no problem. You need to change the law in your state or go buy "pet milk" from the farmer.

[Mr.Perfidy]

Personally I like the fact that you have to be an underground resistance person just to be human anymore.

[JoanieL]

OP, I agree. Cigarettes, alcohol - legal because the industries have the money to lobby. Pot, meth, and heroin - not organized enough to lobby.

Personally, I'm against the Daddy version of government telling me what poisons I'm "allowed" to put in my body. Penalize the behavior (driving under the influence for example), not the use of fill in your poison of choice.

Yep, in their infinite wisdom, raw milk is illegal (except for pets and in some states), but as you stated, cigarettes and alcohol abound. And the lawmakers that put those idiocies in place? Well, I just don't think they are very intelligent or ethical, and I don't recognize their authority to tell me what to drink, smoke, inject, or ingest. Period.

[vyieort]

I can buy raw milk at the store no problem. You need to change the law in your state or go buy "pet milk" from the farmer.

Buying "pet milk" from a farmer may not be incredibly convenient unless you live around farmers. Certainly, some states allow for raw milk sales, but the solution—"just go change the law in your state"— for states that make it illegal is not so simple as your reply may suggest. That's why it is a battle on many levels. Even in states that allow for raw milk sales there are complications that arise from federal intervention. Plus, there are folks who are trying to outlaw it with federal laws, which we have to hope will never happen.

I'm with you, MEversbergII: it makes me crazy that I can't buy the stuff anywhere in NYC. I used to have to go through an underground raw milk club, which is ludicrous.

[itchy166]

I'm really not trying to start anything honestly, but the United States sounds like such a horrible place to live.

Its sad to see a country lose its freedom. Even more worrisome is that the trend is becoming global. I'm probably next.

[Chaohinon]

Although I am on your side of the raw milk issue, just to play devil's advocate: cigarettes don't carry any potential for a nasty bacterial outbreak. I could see some worry about raw milk getting mixed up with the pasteurized milk supply if they were sold side-by-side everywhere.

As far as changing laws goes (with raw milk and most other things), that's a lot like a dark-skinned person trying to join the KKK and make them not racist. Average people vs. the protectionist regulatory racket is not even a remotely fair fight. Civil disobedience would be a much more efficient route.

[sbhikes]

Buying "pet milk" from a farmer may not be incredibly convenient unless you live around farmers. Certainly, some states allow for raw milk sales, but the solution—"just go change the law in your state"— for states that make it illegal is not so simple as your reply may suggest. That's why it is a battle on many levels. Even in states that allow for raw milk sales there are complications that arise from federal intervention. Plus, there are folks who are trying to outlaw it with federal laws, which we have to hope will never happen.

I'm with you, MEversbergII: it makes me crazy that I can't buy the stuff anywhere in NYC. I used to have to go through an underground raw milk club, which is ludicrous.

Sure, it's not an easy answer. I signed a lot of petitions and probably voted for some stuff that made sure we got raw milk in California, although I don't remember any specific propositions on the ballot. I remember the petitions in the 1980s clearly, though. Yeah, you won't get your raw milk tomorrow, but you're not helpless yet. Sure driving to a farm to buy pet milk is a hassle, but that's what I have heard people do back east in states like yours. You might be closer to a farm than you know. I'm closer to grass-fed beef than I knew.

I live in practically a rural place compared to NYC, but here's how my shopping goes:
- Trader Joe's for canned and frozen salmon, canned chicken, NZ lamb, cheese and wine, kerrygold butter.
- Local healthfood store for yogurt, chicken liver and any deals on meat or sausage. Also veggies.
- Local ethnic market for CAFO top sirloin steak, super cheap CAFO chicken, any organ meat from pigs, cows and chickens I could ever want and soup bones.
- Local Asian market for cheap shitaki mushrooms, curry spice paste and random stuff I want to try.
- Saturday farmer's market for grass-fed beef liver, and local lamb and pork if I'm feeling wealthy. They have raw milk there but I don't drink milk and I don't like their butter, but it's there and cheaper than at the health food store.
- Sunday farmer's market for grass-fed beef tallow and sometimes for beef. The other farmer's beef is too expensive. It's all too expensive so I get the CAFO lean top sirloin when I want to eat a steak.

Not convenient. I can't get to the farmer's market very often. That's the way it is if you want to eat this way. Decide where you want to cut corners. You can see where I cut mine.