Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predicting Crimes

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by eru on Tuesday October 03, 2023 @09:22PM (#37759779)

That would be hard to get data on, because alcohol is mostly legal and meth and heroin are mostly illegal.

So you have a huge confounder: it seems likely people who are willing to do illegal acts, are more likely to become unemployable.

So if meth was legal, and alcohol was illegal, the situation might be reversed.

(I'm not saying this is true, but to make your statement you'd need to carefully exclude the possibility of this effect.)

Btw, heroin and other concentrated drugs are popular partially because we banned comparatively milder and bulkier alternatives. Eg opium ain't as hard as opium, but it's just as forbidden, and its bigger bulk makes it less profitable to smuggle.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by cwkoss on Tuesday October 03, 2023 @11:55PM (#37760683)

Meth is legal, sometimes.

It's called desoxyn, and can be prescribed for ADHD or weight loss.

Also chirality-flipped meth is available over the counter as a nasal decongestant

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by conradev on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @02:29AM (#37761554)

Over the counter… with an ID. It’s not on shelves precisely because it is so similar to meth

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by bratgpttamer on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @09:31AM (#37764869)

It's not on shelves because it's a precursor chemical to actual meth manufacturing, not because it's a dangerous drug (otherwise it'd be Rx-only, like the other meth-like drugs).

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/meth/cma2005.htm

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by Paul-Craft on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @06:14PM (#37772545)

Neither ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine are the reversed-chirality methampetamine. "Regular" methamphetamine is dextromethamphetamine; the other version is levomethamphetamine.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by heavyset_go on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @04:50PM (#37771575)

You don't need an ID for levomethamphetamine.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by bryanrasmussen on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @04:25AM (#37762392)

>Eg opium ain't as hard as opium, probably need an edit here. Is it opium isn't as hard as heroin?

all the shows I've ever seen on it suggests it is pretty life destroying though.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by thghtihadanacct on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @09:39AM (#37765005)

Opium literally gets scraped off of poppies. Anyone can actually obtain it with some patience and know how. It would take an enormous individual effort to collect enough to use, let alone hurt oneself or sell any.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Predictive Policing Software Is Pretty Terrible at Predic... by Paul-Craft on Wednesday October 04, 2023 @06:19PM (#37772586)

Yet, ridiculously, sometimes people who have simply eaten a lot of poppy seed bagels or something end up getting tagged as heroin users, because the metabolites are so similar. Never mind that the quantity of poppy seeds you'd have to ingest in order to feel even a little bit of opiate effect is probably more than a human can physically consume. It gets picked up and flagged because the tests are that sensitive.

[ Parent | on HN ]