West Virginia Lawmakers Fall Ill After Legalizing, Then Drinking Raw Milk

After West Virginia lawmakers passed a bill legalizing the sale of raw milk nearly a week ago, several of state representatives have fallen ill, presumably thanks to the bacteria in the raw milk.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill, known officially as Senate Bill 387, allowing for both the distribution and consumption of unpasteurized milk. Although the stricken insist that their sickness is a result of a “stomach bug,” they all coincidentally happen to be among the group that toasted the new law passing with several sips of—you guessed it—raw milk.

After having admitting to sipping some raw milk, courtesy of Scott Cadle, a delegate who sponsored Senate Bill 387, Pat McGeehan told WSAZ that he “highly doubt[s] raw milk had anything to do with it, in my case.”

“[Cadle] caught me in the hallway, offered a cup to me, and you want to try to be a gentleman,” said McGeehan. “I had a small sip and walked away and tossed the rest of it.”

The state’s health officials are looking into the potential food poisoning after they received an anonymous complaint and at least one person claiming that the milk was distributed illegally.