To my knowledge, decriminalization means drug offenses cease to be dealt with criminally and stop being criminal offenses.
Depenalization means they're still criminal offenses, but the penalties are substantially reduced.
Yeah alright the penalties are reduced, so what happens? If im a cop , can i still charge someone with possession or not
Thanks
Depends on the country. Cops often aren't the ones who charge you anyway, prosecutors do that, while cops can issue summery charges.
But, even if it's against the law, there can still be a policy telling cops not to enforce a particular aspect of the law or for prosecutors not to charge. It depends on the country, legal system, and the kind of depenalization.
So my research indicates drug penalization means it still a crime punishable by criminal record, but NO incarceration .
Drug decrim on the other hand meand no record, no incarceration
Is this correct?