What does "possession is nine tenths of the law" mean?

Answer by  Vladimir (459)

Many laws, such as those that deal with weapons posession or drugs, use verbiage like "knowingly posesses. " As interpreted by the courts, such verbiage has been interpreted to mean that the posessor is guilty if he knew that he posessed the item. Ignorance of the statute is not a defense.

Answer by  Mary (2095)

When someone is talking about possession is 9/10ths of the law, they are talking about the guilt of a person in possession of stolen property or contraband. If you are in possession of stolen property, it is most likely that you were the person who took it. It is very difficult to prove otherwise.