[baddox]

You're also conflating all levels of alcohol usage with crack addiction. It's possible for many people (though granted, probably nearly genetically impossible for some people) to use either without becoming addicted. And for alcoholics, it's often very hard to hold down a job.

[genwin]

It's a matter of percentages. Perhaps 5% of alcohol users have a significant problem with it, that drags down those around them. I don't know what the percentage is for crack but I bet it's over 90%, high enough that we shouldn't take a chance on the users who aren't addicted to it promoting it to the 90% who would become addicted it.

[baddox]

> I don't know what the percentage is for crack but I bet it's over 90%

According to this spurious page [0], "up to 75% of those who try cocaine will become addicted." Of course, the page also says "an estimated one-in-four Americans between the age of 26 and 34 have used cocaine at least once in their lifetime, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy." Since it looks like around 15% of Americans are between the age of 26 and 34, that would mean that "up to" 11.25% of Americans will become addicted, which seems unlikely. We need some better data.

[0] http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/cocaine-addiction-treatmen...

[genwin]

Is that crack cocaine, or regular cocaine? I think the former is much more addictive.

[baddox]

According to Wikipedia, the probability is much lower than 90%: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_dependence#Risk

[genwin]

There's a big difference between addiction rates of regular cocaine vs. crack cocaine, right?

[rhizome]

I don't know what the percentage is for crack but I bet...

Hello, old friend.

[genwin]

Well I don't the percentage for a lot of things I bet I'm right about the minimum percentage for!

[anigbrowl]

I don't know what the percentage is for crack

Then stop talking out of your ass and do some research before machine-gunning the thread.

[genwin]

Yours is a rude form of disagreement, is all. Your comments elsewhere:

> This isn't going to happen because a bunch of people in line at an airport isn't a high-value target.

Can you point to research?

> I mean it would suck, of course, but 'bunch of people get blown up at an airport' isn't nearly as worrying as 'large plane falls/is steered out of the sky and into downtown.'

Proof that it isn't as worrying?

> It doesn't have much value to terrorists because it's not as scary and it won't generate vast numbers of photographs.

How do you know it's not as scary? Have you measured?

[anigbrowl]

I don't need to post research. Logically, if a plane falls out of the sky this also presents a threat to anyone on the ground at the time of impact. If people are blown up at an airport, there's no additional risk for those outside the immediate vicinity. This is a consequence of the fact that planes are mobile while airports are not.

Yes, I'm being rude, because by your own admission you are arguing from a position of ignorance and inaccurate prejudice.