Got worms? The news is good in Tennessee

During the COVID pandemic, the livestock dewormer ivermectin gained notoriety as a treatment for COVID. Of course, there isn’t an atom of evidence that ivermectin is effective against coronavirus infections. But the fact that it was ridiculed by the scientific and medical communities proved, by the logic of anti-vaxxers, that it works.

“Currently four states — Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, and Louisiana — have passed OTC ivermectin laws.

“In April 2022, Tennessee passed SB 2188/HB 2746, becoming the first state to make ivermectin available OTC. The legislation authorizes “ivermectin suitable for human use” to be sold or purchased OTC “without a prescription or consultation with a pharmacist or other healthcare professional.” For 3 years, Tennessee was the only state to have OTC ivermectin.”

Look, when I was growing up, pot was illegal. Nobody who used it died from it. Now, there are OTC pot dispensaries everywhere I go. But nobody claims it’s an antiviral.

The ivermectin users probably won’t die from horse de-wormer, but if they eschew vaccination, their chances of ending up in the ED or the morgue or with long COVID are higher than if they get the jab. Same with pot smoking—it won’t protect you from COVID either. Just grow up and get the jab.

Ivermectin is OTC in some states