Patch.com

If a bill in the Louisiana Legislature passes, life will get a lot easier for underage college students who risk arrest with fake IDs that get them into bars or have an older friend buy their drinks. Sen. Eric LaFleur, a Democrat from Ville Platte, says over-21 laws don't work, they increase the chances of unsavory goings on at house parties and they tax the resources of police who have to round up all the underage drinkers. LaFleur's bill, Senate Bill 429, would allow 19- and 20-year-olds to buy and consume alcohol if they get certificate from the state — a drinking license, in effect. Research on drinking-related fraternity parties and binge drinking among underage drinkers supports the creation of a legal path for young drinkers to do what they've been doing years, LaFleur maintains.