This document discusses challenges in using scientific information about drought for policy and decision making. It notes that drought has less visibility than other disasters and its impacts vary over multiple years. It advocates using a facilitated decision making process to relate technical drought information to decision makers' jurisdictions, address social pressures, and explain community impacts. The document points to examples of successful regional cooperation on drought, including a Northern California initiative that blended conceptual and quantitative information. It involved decision makers and the public to develop a shared vision planning and modeling tool to assess drought scenarios and mitigation strategies. Key factors in its success included transparency, trust building, clear depiction of issues, and demonstrating past drought impacts.