AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE — For all of the alcohol they produce, the French have always been proud of their track record of moderation.By exposing adolescents to alcohol in a controlled manner, French parents drastically mitigate the risk of alcohol abuse.But because of a growing binge drinking trend among French youths — a behavior usually associated with England and the U.S. — the virtual “laissez-faire” attitude toward alcohol is now being reconsidered. A new law passed by the French Assembly seeks to curb teen alcohol abuse by increasing the drinking age to 18 and reigning in advertisements for alcohol.Currently — although few establishments actually ask for identification — at age 16 anyone can buy beer or wine while the age to buy liquor is 18.The issue of when one can drink, and under which circumstances, has been a hotly debated subject in the U.S. since Prohibition was repealed in 1933. When the decision was left up to the states, Louisiana policy resembled the French proposition, choosing 18 as the age to purchase alcohol. But after the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, the state was forced to raise the minimum age to 21 or forfeit some of its federal highway funding.Louisiana had it right.As far as the law goes, Louisiana provides some flexibility for parents to decide whether their children can drink alcohol. Anyone can drink in their private residence and at 18 they can drink with their parents in public. Still, an adult would face charges if there were any unrelated underage drinkers under their supervision.Effective social treatment of alcohol is also lacking in Louisiana. Besides being uncertain of the aforementioned laws, many parents feel obligated to enforce a no-drinking policy because the age to purchase alcohol is 21. Worse still, many avoid the conversation about alcohol altogether.Louisiana parents need to face reality — the choice to drink is something everyone is exposed to before reaching the legal age. Parents should provide young people with a safe place to drink, along with instruction on how to do it responsibly. In this regard, they would be well served to adopt the French’s pragmatic social approach to alcohol.However, this principal only works when parents act as the gatekeepers to alcohol. With a low purchasing age, teens can get around their parents and drink irresponsibly (which is presumably what’s happening in France).But postponing legal alcohol purchase until age 21 — as any college student can attest — is quite simply ineffective and detached from reality. Whether citing the common argument about how one can die for their country, but not drink or the fact that the law is more of a nuisance than a deterrent, it is clear that 21 is way past the mark.That’s why raising the buying age to 18 is a more realistic proposal than age 16 or 21.There is no universal moment at which everyone becomes mature enough to make smart personal decisions. But generally speaking, age 18 is a time when young people            often have many new responsibilities forced upon them. Of all the things they could be doing outside of the scrutiny of their parents, obtaining alcohol flails in comparison.Encouraging parents to provide a safe way for young people to drink responsibly and lowering the purchasing age to 18 are two policy changes that would more accurately reflect the realities of the situation. Effective alcohol policy for young people will require a mixture of responsibility — both personal and parental — as well as legal codification. Mark Macmurdo is a 22-year-old history and economics senior from Baton Rouge.—-Contact Mark Macmurda at [email protected]