Q: Juvenile possession charges, what will happen next? I was recently caught with a small amount of marijuana (about 4 grams), some rolling papers, and my mom’s prescription pill bottle which I carried the marijuana in. It is my first offense and i am under the age of 18, i was wondering what possible consequences i am facing.

A: Several possibilities. The Probation Officer may handle it informally, with no petition being filed in juvenile court. This usually involves some informal monitoring, drug counseling and possibly community service. The next step would be for him or her to file a petition for delinquency in juvenile court. If you manage to stay out of more trouble, you may be offered a consent decree, which will have similar requirements as the informal adjustment and result in no conviction if you complete the program successfully. If a consent decree is not offered, you may receive normal probation and then you could expunge your record down the road. Review the case with an attorney to see if you have a defense, especially if the first two options are not offered.