Local legislatures in the state of Washington could bring a bill banning the sale of raw milk in 2007. But legislators are worried that such a bill could send raw milk consumers, who tend to be very passionate and committed, to underground and unregulated sources, a potential health risk.

Gloria Edwards, office manager at the Washington State Dairy Association and a former Kitsap County raw milk and pasteurized dairy farmer, said stiffer regulation is the answer, not a ban. A ban also would criminalize all raw milk producers, and that could create a difficult and expensive law enforcement problem, Moeller said.