Possession of marijuana -- unlawful or criminal

Note: Our office handles marijuana possession cases.I appeared with a young client this week who was charged with Criminal Possession of Marijuana (CPM). In NY, 25 grams or less is unlawful possession of marijuana (UPM), a violation. This client had 29 grams, which makes it a misdemeanor -- a crime. 29 grams is about an ounce.With UPM, it's common to get the charge resolved with an ACOD -