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Originally Posted by Sweet Jane
And nothing wrong with using the term 'illegal' because 'decriminalised' does not mean it is legal, and you can still be fined and given a custodial sentence and a criminal record for having even small amounts of cannabis most places.
Adding 'de' to the world criminal doesn't mean its not criminal, anymore than 'demoted' means you've lost your job... it just means the positioning isn't as high up.
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IN THE US, decriminalization of marijuana implies that you are NOT charged with a misdemeanor possession charge nor will it be included in your permanent record. Instead, you are given a ticket (you would more than likely pay the ticket the same courthouse you would go to for say a traffic ticket), the ticket would typically range anywhere between $25 to $300, depending on where you live. Still, in most locations in the states first offense charges are treated as misdemeanors and you could serve jail time and students can lose financial aid. "Legalization" implies that there are no tickets, no written punishments for possession. It might be a difference of opinion, but "decriminalization" to me has no criminal implication.