1. no longer treated as a criminal offense; removed from criminal law
Usage: commonly used in legal and policy contexts

1. past tense and past participle of decriminalize; to remove criminal penalties from an action or substance
Usage: transitive verb

Examples

• Several countries have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
• The government decriminalized homelessness by removing penalties for sleeping in public spaces.
• After the law was changed, abortion became decriminalized in that state.
• The decriminalized status of the drug has led to increased public health discussions.
• Advocates pushed for decriminalized sex work to improve safety for workers.
• The city decriminalized jaywalking to reduce unnecessary arrests.
• Once decriminalized, the substance was regulated rather than prohibited.