decriminalize

Definition of decriminalizenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decriminalize Another major factor is the passage of Proposition 36 in November 2024, which creates harsher penalties for possession of drugs that had been decriminalized. Claire Wang, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026 The Democratic Socialists of America’s national platform, which Mamdani ran on and believes in, includes calls to decriminalize hard drugs, defund or abolish policing, and dismantle charter schools, despite high demand in communities of color. Darius Jones, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026 Anutin as health minister in the pre-2023 government pushed to decriminalize cannabis, while the Pheu Thai government tried to reverse that. Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Sep. 2025 While there are at least five bills filed to decriminalize or legalize some form of marijuana, there are also at least two bills filed by other Republicans to outlaw signs advertising marijuana products or businesses in some capacity. Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 14 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decriminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decriminalize
legalize
Verb
  • Three other states, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon, have legalized psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic use.
    Esme Murphy, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Florida hasn’t conducted a thorough, statewide study of gambling addiction since 2011, a decade before online sports betting was even legalized.
    Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Decriminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decriminalize. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.

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