Marijuana Decriminalization In The United States
In the United States, the non-medical use of cannabis is legalized in 24 states (plus Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia) and decriminalized in 7 states, as of November 2023. ''Decriminalization'' refers to a policy of reduced penalties for cannabis offenses, typically involving a civil penalty for possessing small amounts (similar to how a minor traffic violation is treated), instead of criminal prosecution or the threat of arrest. In jurisdictions without penalty the policy is referred to as ''legalization'', although the term ''decriminalization'' is sometimes used for this purpose as well. During a wave of decriminalization in the 1970s, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973. Ten more states followed by the end of 1978, influenced by the Shafer Commission's endorsement of decriminalization in 1972. By the end of the decade the tide had turned in the other direction, however, and no state wou ...
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