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A young woman in Illinois was with friends in a car that was pulled over, and she and a friend took responsibility for some marijuana and paraphernalia that was in the car. The driver had a record of drug possession and they wanted to help him out, even though the drugs were his. Her parents are worried about how the possession charges might affect her future. Should she try to deny her statement that the drugs were hers and try to go to trial?
Realistically speaking, the retraction of her confession to the police is not likely to help her. First, the jury might not believe her. Second, it puts her in the position of almost certainly having to testify at her trial. Third, if she knew about the marijuana, even if the judge or jury agrees that she was not technically the person who paid for it she can still be convicted of its possession.
The impact of a marijuana conviction is not likely to be significant in the current era, but if this is her first offense she almost certainly will be able to get court supervision / a deferred sentence. If so, and she keeps her nose clean during the period of supervision, the charges will be dismissed.