WHITNEY HOUSTON FOUND WITH MARIJUANA AT AIRPORT IN HAWAII, PAPER REPORTS

Whitney Houston was caught with 15.2 grams of marijuana at an airport
security checkpoint in Hawaii last week but boarded her departing flight
before police arrived, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Tribune-Herald of Hilo, Hawaii, said an airport security officer at
Keahole-Kona International Airport found the marijuana Tuesday after he
asked the Grammy-winning singer to open her bag for inspection,

The bag was seized, but the singer walked away when security officers tried
to detain her, said Police Lt. Robert Hickcox. Houston's United Airlines
flight to San Francisco departed 45 minutes before police arrived, Hickcox
said.

Airport security officers, employed by a private company, can arrest
passengers only for crimes related to airport security. The firm, Wackenhut
of Hawaii, declined comment to the Associated Press on Sunday night.

An answering service for Houston's spokeswoman, Carol Stone, said Stone was
out of the country and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Police planned to refer the case to the Hawaii County prosecutor's office, a
process that could take a month, Hickcox told the newspaper. Possession of
15 grams of marijuana could lead to a drug charge of promotion of a
detrimental drug, Hickcox said. The petty misdemeanor is punishable by up to
30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.