the.com/decriminalization
the state shrugging and saying fine, we won't arrest you for that anymore.
means removing criminal penalties for an act while it may still be illegal or regulated, so you get a fine or a warning instead of a cell.
from from de- (undoing) plus criminal, gaining traction in 20th-century drug and morality-law reform as governments realized jailing people for personal choices was expensive theater.
not legalizationstill against rules, just no prison attached
portugal 2001decriminalized all drugs, treated addiction as health issue
jaywalkingquietly decriminalized in many us cities recently
for instance
portugal drug policy — 2001 law cut personal drug possession to an administrative offense
jaywalking in california — 2023 law removed fines for safely crossing outside crosswalks