Unusually for books on the topic, Drug Policy includes a chapter on the democratic process and the role played by the public in drug policy formation.1 Author Alison Ritter explores how the public might participate in the decision-making process and identifies several obstacles to participation in contemporary liberal democracies. Justifications for government decisions are based on the strength of the arguments supporting them and on the consent which the electorate gives through the electoral process. Because of the complexity of governing, the technical tasks of policy are left to experts, with input from the bulk of the population largely limited to infrequent elections.