Continuing to Prohibit the Sale of Raw Milk is Just Dumb

February 19, 2021 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota
Rep. Luke Simons (R - District 36) drinks raw milk on the floor of the North Dakota House during the 2017 Legislative Session. Simons' efforts to legalize the sale of raw milk in North Dakota were ultimately defeated. (Photo via Facebook.)

Efforts to legalize the sale of raw milk for human consumption were stifled in the North Dakota House four years ago. At that time, the Agriculture Committee forced the raw milk portion out of a bill now known as “Food Freedom”. Indeed, Nanny State do-gooders prevailed— all in the name of protecting us ya know. (***Insert eyeroll here.***)

Nothing has really changed since that time. House Bill 1244 was defeated — on a 5 to 89 vote — earlier this month. It would have provided a means whereby dairy producers could have become licensed to sell “raw milk or raw milk products for direct consumer consumption”.

In an odd series of events, the bill’s prime sponsor — Rep. Marvin Nelson (D – District 9) — ultimately asked that the bill be killed on the House floor. Why? Because apparently the administrative rules process would have been too problematic if the bill actually passed. That’s how bad things really are in Bismarck.

This isn’t entirely a surprise though. After all, it recently took a lawsuit and a judge to rule that the Department of Health had overstepped its authority when they placed restrictions on the aforementioned Food Freedom Law. Indeed, if we could roll back the clock, administrative bureaucrats would be more than satisfied to make our grandfathers raw milk criminals.

Now, to be fair, it is possible to buy raw milk in North Dakota. But you have to do it via “herd-share”. Which, to be honest, makes it all the more ridiculous. If raw milk is so dangerous, why allow anyone to consume it at all? Heck, why not ban it altogether and establish a division of law enforcement tasked with the responsibility to ensure nobody is sipping the unpasteurized hazardous material? After all, it’s about “public health”— right? (***Insert another eyeroll here.***)

It’s truly a shameful level of insanity that we continue to allow this prohibition within our own state government.

All of this is even crazier when we consider the things we can do in this state that are far more dangerous to our health. If you want to smoke, indulge in adult beverages, or stuff your gut full of all sorts of things that cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.— then knock yourself out. Have at it. But easy access to raw milk— no way. Too dangerous. We just can’t have that. The Almighty State says so. Just obey.

Do you honestly see any sense in this? I sure don’t. Especially when we consider that there apparently hasn’t been a single death attributed to the consumption of raw milk since the mid-1980’s. And that’s despite the reality that a reported 10 million people consume it regularly.

At this point, legalizing marijuana might have more legislative support than lifting restrictions on the sale of raw milk. Call it what you will. I think these restrictions are just dumb. But then again, so are we for allowing them to continue.

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Sources:

  1. BREAKING: Nanny State House Agriculture Committee Forces Removal of Raw Milk from Food Freedom Bill – The Minuteman Blog
  2. North Dakota Bill Versions: HB 1244 (nd.gov)
  3. North Dakota Legislative Branch Video (nd.gov)
  4. https://video.legis.nd.gov/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20210219/-1/18996?startposition=20210204090000
  5. Judge overturns controversial North Dakota cottage food rules | Government, Politics and Elections | bismarcktribune.com
  6. YOUR GRANDFATHER: The Raw Milk Criminal? – The Minuteman Blog
  7. https://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous/
  8. https://www.marijuanamoment.net/north-dakota-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-committee/
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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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