Change rests on convincing legislators that the current course is wrong. They will draft reform legislation only when they are convinced the reasons for so doing are sound and that the public is behind them. At one session the vast chasm between the understanding of drug issues by the public and politicians as compared to the professionals- the scientists, scholars, counselors in the field of chemical dependency, was discussed. While the public sees drug policy issues in an emotional light - the scientists see them in the light of clinical and laboratory research. The conclusions are dramatically opposite, yet the perceptions of the public are the basis for current laws.
Law enforcement carries out law without reflection on their origin or on their consequences.
Bridging the chasm of misunderstanding between professionals and the lay public is essential to reform of the present course. Offenders pays their own living expenses, court costs, urine testing, education, costs of operating an automobile, and often forgo medical care because they can't afford it. The financial burden often falls entirely on the family, one reason the war on drugs has become a war on families. When a potential employer sees a drug felony on the background check that applicant becomes virtually unemployable. A state legislative analyst in the criminal division concurred.