Before you begin reading this column, ask yourself: What would Tigerland — the focal point of LSU student nightlife — be like if no one below the age of 21 was allowed to enter?  
What if New Orleans, a city home to hundreds of bars, disallowed anyone below the age of 21 to enter a bar?
The result of this kind of ludicrous and senseless legislation would be devastating — both economically and culturally. 
Surely the powers that be would never allow such a thing, right?
New Orleans City Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson has proposed a pair of local laws that would forbid anyone under the age of 21 to enter a bar or liquor store in the city of New Orleans.
The vote on Clarkson’s proposals was set for this Thursday, but it was postponed until mid-March because of obvious opposition from New Orleans bar owners.
Currently, the local laws are in accordance with Louisiana state statutes, allowing people 18 and older to enter outlets “where alcoholic beverages are the principle commodity sold” and where “selling liquor is conducted as the principal business.”
The primary purpose of these measures is embedded in an effort to diminish the city’s crime, because we all know the 18-, 19- and 20-year-old bar-hoppers are the chief sources of egregious criminal behavior in the Big Easy.
Tourism is one of the major driving forces behind the New Orleans economy. It is the largest employer in the New Orleans area and second largest in the state of Louisiana, according to a 2008 New Orleans Tourism Industry fact sheet. 
The tourism industry includes attractions such as the magnetic French Quarter, the infamous Bourbon Street, America’s largest Mardi Gras festival, world-famous restaurants and terrific music venues, to name a few.
And, because most of these tourist attractions generate the prevailing amount of their money from alcohol sales, they will be forced to deny entrance to anyone under the age of 21.
If this legislation is passed, where does it leave a typical 19-year-old like myself who frequently visits New Orleans?
Personally, I would stop visiting the city.
Like many others, I have a passion for hearing great live music, and New Orleans bars provide the perfect arena for this.
Several times a semester, I go down to New Orleans to hear some of my favorite touring musicians play live at local hotspots.
Not only would great opportunities such as these no longer be available to myself and other music lovers, but New Orleans would lose a piece of individuality that makes it so distinct from other cities.
The most unfortunate repercussions would be the negative societal effects on a city already struggling with crime. 
These measures are essentially the same as Prohibition, just on a much smaller scale.
The most probable adverse effect will be an increased disrespect for the law. During Prohibition, nearly everyone broke the law because they did not see it as legitimate. 
The same goes for these new proposals. People will view it as more government takeover.
This law will receive no respect or obedience — rightly so — and it will end up undermining the entire legal system. 
Just because residents of New Orleans below the age of 21 are not allowed entrance into bars does not mean they will stop drinking. On the contrary, drinking will probably proliferate throughout the city, rather than remaining largely confined in bars.
Prohibition also caused the government to outrageously misuse their time on such a trivial issue. It overburdened the police, the courts and the penal system.
New Orleans is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. The city has the highest homicide rate in the nation at 12 times the national rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The police and courts have no time to waste on petty underage drinking offenses. They need to bring justice to the real criminals — nefarious individuals who commit murder, rape and robbery. 
Attempting to decrease crime by forbidding individuals below the age of 21 to enter bars is both asinine and counterproductive.
If you want to make a profound difference in your beloved city, stop trying to over-legislate a problem that doesn’t need fixing. Look to the root causes of crime: income inequality and poverty.
When you decide to make a positive, sizable dent in the crime rate with genuine proposals, then I’ll drink to that.
Jay Meyers is a 19-year-old economics freshman from Shreveport. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_jmeyers.
 
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Contact Jay Meyers at [email protected].