ISTANBUL

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil voted to decriminalize the possession of marijuana for personal use, the national public news agency run by the government, Agencia Brasil, reported.

The decision came Tuesday after nine years of deliberation and multiple suspensions, according to Agencia Brasil.

It said the "number of judges who voted for and against the decriminalization has not been officially disclosed."

Despite decriminalization, marijuana possession "remains an illicit behavior," meaning public consumption is "still prohibited," according to Agencia Brasil.

The report noted that punishments for users will now be "administrative rather than criminal," eliminating the risk of a "criminal record and community service penalties."

Agencia Brasil said Supreme Court President Luis Roberto Barroso clarified the scope of the decision during the session.

"At no point are we legalizing or saying that drug use is a positive thing. On the contrary, we are merely deliberating on the best way to address this epidemic that exists in Brazil, and the strategies we have been adopting are not working because consumption keeps increasing and the power of trafficking as well," he said.

The Court will define the quantity of marijuana that constitutes personal use, with current proposals suggesting "between 25 and 60 grams (0.9 ounces to 2.1 ounces) or six female cannabis plants," said Agencia Brasil.

It pointed out that the STF's ruling examined "the constitutionality of Article 28 of the Drug Law (Law 11,343/2006)," which originally maintained criminal penalties for drug users.

The law will now apply "alternative penalties, such as community service and educational courses," but without criminal implications, it said.