My question involves criminal law for the state of: New Jersey
Ok so to make a long story short... A short time ago was my 18th birthday and me and two of my friends decided to go down to the beach. For the trip marijuana was knowingly brought and I had a bong (with resin) in one of my small nap-sack style gymbags. I was in the passenger seat with my other friend (18 years old) in the backseat and my 17 year old friend driving, unbeknownst to me and my friend in the back the driver had brought Adderall and anti-depressants and a possible Ecstasy powder mixture possibly chopped with other illicit substances.
So anyway my driver friend tosses an old water bottle out of the window on a highway full of shore traffic and hits a undercover police cars' windshield and he immediately flashes his lights all while the car reaks of burnt marijuana from earlier that day. Frantically we spray knowing the inevitable. Cop comes up to passenger side window and asks for license and registration while yelling about how littering is a $2000 fine. driver hands license and registration along with PBA card. Officer yells about how he's going to revoke the card. Finally smell hits him and he says "where's the rest of the marijuana?" We reply there is none and such and we don't have any. He says "I smell it, don't make me get a K9 in here for probable cause. Give me the rest of the weed and we'll get rid of it and I'll make this go away."
Officer repeats he'll make it go away two or three times more egging driver on. Driver thinking that the officer is being sincere due to PBA card, says ok and gets it out of the trunk. Officer takes the marijuana and takes driver to car then sits him in passenger seat and comes to get me and backseats passengers ID, he takes mine and my other friend left his at home so he takes a name and address. Time passes as we sit there with hands on dash for about ~1 hour-1.5 hours. More officers show up, handcuff me and my backseat friend after removing us from the vehicle. Driver says he "takes responsibility for everything in the vehicle".
Cops go to remove my bag (gym bag mentioned earlier) from the car and bring it to me and my backseat friend as we sit on the guard rail next to the highway, they ask me if it's my bag, I reply no because the decision had been made earlier that me and my backseat friend say no to both of our bags since he only had alcohol and i had a bong with resin in it, my driver friend already got a paraphernalia charge for scales and marijuana vape pens that were already found in the car and he's a minor so he tried to add on the bong since he already has so many things.
Anyway the cop takes the bag over to my driver friend in another car and he asks the same question to which my driver friend says no at first, then remembering says oh wait yes that is my bag i take responsibility and he repeatedly says it is my bag, the cop sees whats happening and takes bag back to me in which case i saw it as my driver friend saying you take it, so I say yes the bag and contents are mine and you can search it and i signed a forum. Cops search it find bong and arrest me, I wash charged with 2C:35-10(A) 4 and 2C:36-2 (posession under 50 grams and paraphernalia). A
nyway eventually we were all let go, but now I have a court day very soon and all three of us are nervous about college now due to this predicament since, all three of us are going to college and one is Valid Victorian and going to an Ivy League. None of us have ever had any previous charges, but in my case I am concerned because I am 18 and that was my first day being 18, not the greatest memory, but do I have any options and if so what? I don't want to have to use legal counsel if I don't need to for cost, but this is hard because I can see how I could get a conditional discharge, but then I would lose my license for 2 years which I need for school since I will technically be a commuter. I don't know if I should just plead not guilty and try to talk to the prosecutor or what because I'm a bit out of my element here. Any and all answers or info are greatly appreciated.

