Minor, First Time Offense Possession of Marijuana

My question involves juvenile law in the State of: Virginia

A week ago, I was pulled over for a faulty headlight. During the time the officer was issuing the ticket, his partner went around to the other side of my car and smelled inside. He then called the officer writing my ticket over, talked to him, then they asked me to step out of the car and I was then detained for 'suspicion of marijuana' or something along the lines,read my rights, and so on. They asked me where the weed was, and me being extremely nervous, told them where and got it out for them, along with a bowl. I had at most 2.5 grams. They then called my parents to pick me up, and i was issued a ticket for "Possession of Marijuana, first time offense (18.2-250.1)" and given a summons. During the time i was detained I was fully cooperative with the officers (probably more than i should have, but I was very nervous). I was then released, and able to drive home.

So my question is, should i invest in a lawyer? I'm a minor(17) and have a perfectly clean record, minus a warning for speeding. Also, any tips in general on how to put this issue behind me, where it doesn't affect my life later on would be verrrry appreciated.

Nobody here is going to tell you not to hire a lawyer, even if this is a juvenile court matter. Good school, home, community records, with no prior police or court record? Then you would appear to be a good candidate for some form of deferral - but keep in mind that the court is going to want you to refrain from using illegal drugs.

Thanks for the reply. Every other aspect of my life(school, home, church, blah blah) is considered "ideal" I guess, but I want to make sure this doesn't bite me in the butt later. If you wouldn't mind answering, how much would a lawyer be to get this taken care of? And I understand there's no "set" price, but if you could ballpark it, that would be great.

Also, on the summons there was no mention of paraphernalia at all, and to go along with that, the cop mentioned "how totally cool" my bowl was a couple of times. Does that mean that I won't get charged for that if it isn't on the summons? Any chance the cop pocketed it?

We can't quote lawyer prices for you, nor do I think "shopping for the lowest price" is the best way to find a lawyer. You and your parents can shop around, if you choose.

If you're only charged with possession of marijuana, no mention of the paraphernalia, odds are the prosecutor is not going to add any other charge at this point. I can't tell you what may or may not have happened to your bowl, but you need to get out of your mind the notion that the police might return your 'cool' drug paraphernalia to you. Besides, you don't need it any more, right?

No, thats not what I meant. The risks of smoking are definitely too high after being caught once. I just wanted to make sure that when I went to court, I wouldn't be surprised by "Oh yeah, you're being charged with this too". But yeah, I figured it was pointless to ask for prices but figured it was worth a shot. Thanks again!

And if I may say so without offense (or even with offense) the time to worry about consequences that could affect the rest of your life is BEFORE you break the law. Not after.