Associated Press Published

State Won't Penalize Lawmaker Who Gave Out Raw Milk

raw milk

West Virginia health officials won’t penalize a state lawmaker who illegally handed out raw milk at the Capitol.

A letter from the Bureau for Public Health last week says Del. Scott Cadle clearly violated state law by offering raw milk to the public on March 3. But the bureau recognized it was a first-time offense.

The letter says one other House delegate and several others became sick around the time they drank the raw milk. There also had been a stomach illness circulating at the Capitol. An investigation into whether people got sick because of raw milk continues.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin recently signed a bill letting people share milk-producing animals and drink raw milk. Selling and distributing raw milk will remain prohibited, still punishable by $50 to $500 in fines.