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What was the Louisiana Drinking Age loophole until the mid-90's?

Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:04 am
Posted by magildachunks
Member since Oct 2006
32482 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:04 am
You could consume alcohol at 18, but not buy it until you were 21, or buy at 18, but not legally consume until 21?


Trying to explain to young kids about how shite was back in the day. Law changed when I was in high school, and there was no grandfather clause as my cousin found out.

Law changed when he was 20. He could either buy or consume alcohol legally for two years, then got shut off for a year until he turned 21.


Seriously though, I feel bad for kids these days. Can't buy beer or cigarettes until they are 21. But can receive the death penalty at 18.

Where's the logic in that?
Posted by theantiquetiger
Paid Premium Member Plus
Member since Feb 2005
19227 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:08 am to
I think it was you could buy it at a store at 21, but drink it at 18 at bars, because they were private establishments. (I maybe wrong)

I do know a person 18-20 can drink in restaurants and bars legally now, if they are with their guardian. I’ve bought several drinks for my daughter [no pics] several times the last two years.
Posted by SaintlyTiger88
Louisiana
Member since Apr 2013
1984 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:11 am to
I don’t think the drinking age law has been super effective over the years. Teens looking to get wasted will always find a way. I can’t tell you how many of my class-mates in high school would share stories of their drunken revelry lol.

Think back to Prohibition. Alcohol was illegal for everybody no matter how young or old, but people still found a way.

Posted by magildachunks
Member since Oct 2006
32482 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:12 am to
quote:

can’t tell you how many of my class-mates in high school would share stories of their drunken revelry lol.




Why didn't you partake in the revelry?
Posted by Proximo
Member since Aug 2011
15554 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:13 am to
quote:

Can't buy beer or cigarettes until they are 21. But can receive the death penalty at 18. Where's the logic in that?

1) Federal Highway funding for the state

2) Buying booze at 21 has nothing to do with receiving the death penalty at 18 for heinously murdering someone
Posted by SaintlyTiger88
Louisiana
Member since Apr 2013
1984 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:16 am to
quote:

Why didn't you partake in the revelry?


Never got into drinking alcohol. Which, in hindsight is a good thing because I have had some liver issues pop up, nothing major, but issues all the same that would have been much worse if I drank alcohol.
Posted by Tvilletiger
PVB
Member since Oct 2015
4919 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:19 am to
They could sell it to you it it was illegal for you to buy it. Age of majority in Louisiana was 18 and you cannot discriminate based on age.
Was crazy how it went down. In fact there was one weekend after it went down that a judge put a hold on the law and we were all good to drink for a weekend.
Posted by magildachunks
Member since Oct 2006
32482 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:22 am to
quote:

Buying booze at 21 has nothing to do with receiving the death penalty at 18 for heinously murdering someone




Disagree.



If you're considered an adult, then you should be treated like an adult.

If you can be sentenced to death at 18, you should be able to buy alcohol and cigarettes at 18.

I mean...you're considered an adult who's responsible for their actions, right?


I don't care which law you change, but make the drinking/smoking age 18, or the age to receive the death penalty 21.

There aren't different degrees of adulthood.
This post was edited on 2/3/23 at 1:25 am
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
25670 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:25 am to
quote:

I think it was you could buy it at a store at 21, but drink it at 18 at bars, because they were private establishments. (I maybe wrong)


It was odd, it was illegal for those 18-20 to buy alcohol but it was not illegal to sale to them... go figure this ended in maybe 1995.

When I used to come to Mardi Gras in college, on my schools dime no less*, in the late 80s we had no issues buying alcohol prior to being 21.


* I shot 3 position smallbore on my college team and Nicholls State had a huge rife match the week before Fat Tuesday. Our coach would always register us to shoot on Thursday then we would party in NOLA until Sunday morning when they had the awards lunch and then head back home. They gave us some amount of per diem for meals and we just sweet talked a waitress at a small restaurant into giving us a ticket book and we "ate" there all week and one guy wrote out the tickets for our whole time there so we drank on the college. It worked all 4 years I went, no one noticed the tickets from all 4 years were consecutive and the coaches didn't care.
Posted by GRIZZ
PRAIRIEVILLE
Member since Nov 2009
5217 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:31 am to
You could legally purchase, drink and get into bars at age 18 until August of 1995. In August the legal drinking age changed from 18 to 21. Many bars still allowed you to get in, but you were not allowed to purchase or drink.

Seems that I recall hearing of a law that allowed you to drink at 18 if your parents were supervising, but I’m not sure if there is any truth to that.
Posted by Proximo
Member since Aug 2011
15554 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 1:32 am to
quote:

I mean...you're considered an adult who's responsible for their actions, right?
There aren't different degrees of adulthood.

Murderers are not responsible people—there is no logic to your argument. Further, 18 year olds whose brains are not fully developed and who lack experience should not be given free rein to access booze and drive 4,000 lb vehicles on our highways. They lack judgment and often act out of impulse.

Will they still do it? Sure, but it prevents a significant number of events from ever occurring.
Posted by mauser
Orange Beach
Member since Nov 2008
21607 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 3:33 am to
When I was 18 you could buy all the booze you wanted at Schwegmann's. Early 1970s.

Years later Feds told La you can't have Fed highway funds unless you raise drinking age.
Posted by JudgeHolden
Gila River
Member since Jan 2008
18566 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 3:42 am to
This may not be the best moment to hawk a lower drinking age.

Unless that’s you, Reggie’s owners.
Posted by davyjones
NELA
Member since Feb 2019
30191 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 3:56 am to
The old LA drivers license during that period were very conducive to faking. Right on the card itself using lamination sheets, so you could peel it off real quick if necessary.
Posted by bayourougebengal
Member since Mar 2008
7193 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 4:00 am to
quote:

Can't buy beer or cigarettes until they are 21. But can receive the death penalty at 18.


Pretty terrible comparison baw
Posted by bulldog95
North Louisiana
Member since Jan 2011
20721 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 4:48 am to
In the town my high school was located there were 2 gas stations that sold it to us at 15 but they knew us and knew we weren’t narcs.

Pizza Hut would sell certain people pitchers of beer when you went in to eat.

One Saturday night it was a little awkward several of us (16-17) were sitting at a table in Pizza Hut with 2 pitchers of beer when a couple of parents walked in to eat.

Posted by BigApple
Member since Jun 2022
416 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 4:55 am to
quote:

I do know a person 18-20 can drink in restaurants and bars legally now, if they are with their guardian. I’ve bought several drinks for my daughter [no pics] several times the last two years.


It’s legal for anyone of any age to drink alcohol in restaurants as long as a parent is with them.
Posted by Shanegolang
Denham Springs, La
Member since Sep 2015
3457 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 5:28 am to
In the early 80s I was a freaking bartender at a big nightclub at 16 years old! I shite you not! Those were the days.......in rural Avoyelles Parish! Even got some college snatch back then, that way!
Posted by turnpiketiger
Southeast Texas
Member since May 2020
9466 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 5:31 am to
This applies to south Louisiana mostly I’m assuming. There still are not any bars in Deridder. Zero.
Posted by bayou choupique
the banks of bayou choupique
Member since Oct 2014
1818 posts
Posted on 2/3/23 at 5:31 am to
quote:

Those were the days.......in rural Avoyelles Parish! Even got some college snatch back then, that way!


Kyrles baw??
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