Thanks but I would rather not work for Narcs Inc.
Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
21–30 of 421 posts
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#22Have you considered not selling technology to cops?
Have you considered respecting the professionals who keep us safe, and not assuming that they're all somehow bad people out to get good folks who just happen to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time"?
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#23Given that marijuana arrests disproportionally target people of color, have you considered the ethical implications of bringing your product to market? The accuracy of your device doesn't affect how or on whom it will be used.
Is it that they disproportionately target PoC, or are they simply smoking and driving more often and getting caught for it? Do we really expect every single crime statistic to show a completely perfect, proportionate representation of the host population's ethnic makeup?
PoC are disproportionately pulled over by police.
EDIT: And that means you'll never get accurate numbers on consumption/offense rates. So using those numbers is fully questionable.
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#24Given that marijuana arrests disproportionally target people of color, have you considered the ethical implications of bringing your product to market? The accuracy of your device doesn't affect how or on whom it will be used.
Is it that they disproportionately target PoC, or are they simply smoking and driving more often and getting caught for it? Do we really expect every single crime statistic to show a completely perfect, proportionate representation of the host population's ethnic makeup?
No, it is definitely that they disproportionately target PoC.
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#25>we're imagining a world where there are one of our devices in every police car in North America. Sounds like a terrible world honestly.
I concur.
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#26Sounds like it’s well-intentioned, but I’m afraid that given the incentives of all parties involved here, and the complexity of the technology, there will be a lot of false positives. It’s obvious that the police will want a device that produces more convictions, no point in disputing that. I’m wondering if you can elaborate on what incentives your company has to produce accurate devices, against your customer’s unst…
> It’s obvious that the police will want a device that produces more convictions, no point in disputing that.
Is that obvious? If this were as overwhelming an incentive as you say, we wouldn't have accurate breathalyzers for alcohol. But we do, and it's simple to see why. 1) Cops aren't the only customers; medical establishments, individuals, and workplaces also have a legitimate interest in measuring impairment. 2) Tech like this doesn't remain novel forever, it can be checked for accuracy, and if you made a device that exaggerated impairment your reputation would tank, your company name would become a political hot potato, and your sales would never materialize. 3) There is definitely a point in disputing the idea that cops are indiscriminate gangsters roaming the streets trying to lock up any citizen they don't like the look of. Police have their personal and institutional biases, but by and large, most are interested in tools that allow them to safely and fairly administrate the rule of law. Police don't have much career or institutional incentive to arrest someone for a DUI at a traffic stop or not—they just stop bad drivers and check. It's prosecutors who are trying to rack up conviction numbers as a matter of career advancement and political viability. But even that gets checked: their work will be subject to an adversarial legal system, at which point any evidence that the device doesn't work would come out in court and tank their conviction rate.
So... where do you see perverse incentives here, again?
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#27Have you considered not selling technology to cops?
Have you considered respecting the professionals who keep us safe, and not assuming that they're all somehow bad people out to get good folks who just happen to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time"?
I think the motivations of most police to choose a career as a police aren't in line with the best interests of citizens
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#28This is the first time I've ever hoped for the complete failure of a company featured in Launch HN.
This is an ill-conceived solution to exacerbate an existing injustice: uneven prosecution of laws in the War on Drugs.
Shame on you.
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#29Great job to the founders, awesome to see more cool companies out of the UW nano program.
Curious why all the negativity, perhaps people are unaware that cannabis actively DOES impair driving to dangerous levels. Also, as this startup is from Canada I'm almost certain the mindframe of the founders is to develop a device that makes legalization EASIER, not allowing police to use it catch and arrest people on the street who they think are high.
One issue we have been dealing with in Canada is how to regulate driving after consuming cannabis. A zero tolerance policy for smoking + driving within days is unreasonable and thus will be ineffective. This device and the research behind it looks like could help regulators and police catch people who are dangerously high while not arresting those who happened to smoke much earlier.
Re: Launch HN: SannTek (YC S19) – Breathalyzer for Cannabis
#30Is the pro-thc crowd really so focused that they would prefer impared drivers be untestable?
You're missing the point that the war on drugs is racist, oppressive, expensive and counterproductive. Adding technology does not improve any aspect of that.
FWIW I do not think driving high is safe at all, but I don't think it's a serious problem either (by the numbers).