California county allows marijuana, but not raw milk

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: marijuana, raw milk, health news

(NaturalNews) Humboldt County, Calif., is largely recognized as the marijuana capital of the U.S. Its lax attitude towards both the legal and illegal growth and sale of the controversial plant is unmatched, and has earned the county quite a reputation. But in a state where raw milk sales are legal, Humboldt County is oddly one of the only California counties that has banned it, which continues to spark a controversy of its own.

Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures Dairy Co., California's largest raw milk dairy, recently met with county officials to challenge the county's long-held prohibition of raw milk. According to a recent report by Grist, McAfee spoke openly to the Board of Supervisors about not only the safety of raw milk, but also its many health benefits. He also submitted to them a variety of articles and studies to back his claims.

But the board handed the information over to the county's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for review, upon which it was returned with largely negative feedback. Such feedback was prompted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which jointly issued their standard rhetorical opposition to raw milk, regardless of what anyone has to say about it.

For whatever reason, one of the most laissez-faire counties in California has seemingly decided to side with the government on the raw milk issue, even after being questioned about its stance. But McAfee is not giving up on the issue, as he continues to press officials to evaluate the safety record of his own dairy as proof that raw milk can be safely produced and sold.

"Raw milk, as it is produced in California and sold into 400 stores and consumed by 50,000 people per week, is not given any credit for being clean and safe," he stated in an email to Susan Buckley, director of the Humboldt County's DHHS. "The idea that raw milk is somehow 'so dangerous,' that it cannot be purchased by your citizens ... is an outrageous comment."

To learn more about the health benefits of raw milk, and to check out the "Raw Dairy Standards" certification program developed by Mark McAfee, visit:
http://www.rawusa.org/

Sources for this story include:

http://www.grist.org/article/food-2011-01-10...