Why Florida is banning lab-grown meat
We don't have to guess the motivation behind this deranged legislation — Florida governor Ron DeSantis has told us himself.
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Florida has become almost synonymous with deranged government legislation. Some of it comes from the state’s unofficial guiding principle of evangelical Christianity, such as 798.01 making extramarital affairs illegal. Some became notorious during the pandemic when lawmakers wholesale bans against public health measures such as vaccine and mask mandates, including my favorite when governor Ron DeSantis banned cruise ships from Florida if they required masking, when cruising is a major Florida industry.
It’s almost as if Florida’s only compass is to do the opposite of whatever most people would find reasonable.
They’re at it again, this time with bills that ban the sale or creation of lab-grown meat, even pulling the licenses of any restaurants that sell it. In effect, executing a nascent growth industry and removing consumer choices, for no clear reason at all. Lab grown meat is obviously better for animal welfare, and if allowed to scale, has the potential to provide a beloved and important protein source at lower cost and with lower environmental impact, without impacting the option of “real” animal meat for those who prefer it.
The bills have passed Florida’s House and Senate and, as of this writing, await DeSantis’ signature, which he has said he will give.
Is it about money? Is it about protecting Florida’s large agricultural industry? Nope; those would be reasons that we can at least understand. It may drop your jaw, but DeSantis actually told us exactly why he wants no lab grown meat in Florida.