On November 19, 2013, the Institute of Justice, a civil liberties law firm, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the dairy farmer, arguing that the ban violates the First Amendment.

“It shouldn’t be a crime to talk about something that’s legal. You can’t run a successful business if you can’t talk about it,” says Michael Bindas, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice. “…The First Amendment protects not only political and artistic speech, but commercial speech as well, and government therefore cannot prohibit entrepreneurs like [her] from advertising a perfectly legal product.”

The farmer claims that the ban has prohibited her from reaching out to new customers when she has a surplus of raw milk to sell; explaining the milking, bottling and testing procedures she uses; and educating the public on safety measures.

“I would love to speak freely about my milk and farm without fearing someone will construe that as advertising,” she says.

Bindas argues that there is precedence with U.S. Supreme Court striking down similar bans on legal products such as alcohol because they would violate the First Amendment, giving raw milk advocates hope that this case, too, will have a just outcome.

Read more about the ban and lawsuit here:

http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20131120/ARTICLE/131129989/1318

watchdog.org/116796/farmer-fights-raw-milk-ban/

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab

The post Oregon Dairy Farmer Challenges Constitutionality of Ban on Raw Milk Advertising appeared first on Real Milk.

West Virginia has some of the strictest raw milk laws in the country: raw milk sales, from both cows and goats, are entirely illegal. West Virginia also prohibits the practice of herd sharing, through which consumers can purchase a share in a cow, goat or herd to gain “ownership” access to the animals’ raw milk. Brad Cochran, the Director of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Public Health Sanitation Division, stands by the assertion that raw milk is unsafe to drink – despite research and thousands of anecdotes that prove otherwise.

“They say it has bad stuff in it and unless you strip everything away it is going to kill you. But I am still alive,” says Rylee, the 11-year old girl who is denied access to the raw goat’s milk that provides crucial nutrients and health benefits.

“The government needs to trust us as parents to read the studies and extract our own opinions and beliefs,” adds Rylee’s mother.

Read more about their story and others’ raw milk plights here:

http://www.wowktv.com/story/23542795/jackson-county-wv-mother-and-farmers-criticize-states-raw-milk-stance

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab

The post Families Suffer in West Virginia because of State’s Raw Milk Ban appeared first on Real Milk.