Paper: Pot Found on Whitney Houston
.c The Associated Press

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - Whitney Houston was caught with 15.2 grams of marijuana at an airport security checkpoint 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 only arrest passengers 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. A message left with her answering service was not immediately returned on Sunday night to The Associated Press.

According to the newspaper, the Hawaii County Police Department's daily police bulletin noted 15.2 grams of marijuana was recovered at the airport at 2:28 p.m. on Tuesday, but did not identify a suspect.

Police planned to refer the case to the Hawaii County prosecutor's office, a process that could take a month, Hickcox told the newspaper.

Police declined to comment to the AP late Sunday.

Officials at Arista Records, Houston's record label, could not be reached for comment in either Los Angeles or New York on Sunday night.

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.

Houston has sold millions of records is one of the world's most successful recording artists. She has also starred in such films as ``The Bodyguard'' and ``Waiting to Exhale.''

She was nominated this month for four Grammy awards for her latest album, ``My Love is Your Love.''

Houston May Face Drug Charges
By JEAN CHRISTENSEN
.c The Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) - Authorities are weighing whether to file drug charges against pop star Whitney Houston, who allegedly was found with half an ounce of marijuana at an airport security checkpoint but boarded her flight before police arrived.

Hawaii County Prosecutor Jay Kimura said he would wait for the results of a police investigation before deciding whether to charge the 36-year-old singer.

He said the most likely charge would be promoting a detrimental drug, an offense punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Kimura said his office typically does not pursue mainland suspects who are charged with petty misdemeanors such as marijuana possession. But he said Houston could be served with a summons if she ever returns to the islands and could be arrested if she ignores the summons.

Houston was stopped Jan. 11 at a security checkpoint at Keahole-Kona International Airport while on her way to board a United Airlines flight to San Francisco. The airport is on the island of Hawaii, 167 miles southeast of Honolulu.

During a search of her bag, a security officer allegedly found the marijuana and seized the bag. Airport security officers, who can only arrest passengers for crimes related to airport security, told her to stay with them until police arrived, police said.

But Houston left the scene and boarded her flight, which departed about a half hour before police arrived, Big Island police spokesman William Donham said Monday. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo reported that her husband, Bobby Brown, was traveling with her.

After San Francisco, Houston was heading to her East Coast home to prepare for a trip to Europe on Monday night or Tuesday. Although she was one of the leading nominees at Monday's American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Houston was not scheduled to perform or attend the ceremony, awards spokesman Paul Shefrin said.

Representatives of the public relations firm that represents Houston were off for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and could not be reached.

The police spokesman said officers did not treat the situation any differently because it involved a celebrity. He noted that the airport is five miles away from the nearest police station. He also said the amount of marijuana allegedly found was relatively small.

``I would imagine that they were busy,'' Donham said. ``It's not a major crime. I don't think you realize how much dope does go through this island. We're one of the major growing areas in the country.''

From Electronic Urban Report:
Law enforcement officials on the mainland in the US are debating on whether Whitney Houston should be charged with possession of marijuana after she was found to have 15 grams of that Hawaii Boom in her carry-on bag on January 11, but she boarded her plane before police arrived. Prosecutors in Hawaii are waiting for police results before they take any action. "We're all pretty realistic. Everybody has been around long enough to know that those things happen. It's one thing you should never do is carry it! For sure," commented Gloria Estefan at the AMA's this past Monday. Ut-Oh, Looks like Gloria may be making a cut called "Malta En La Casa." (Weed In The House) Translation: smoke your weed at home! :)

The power of the media was evident today. Different shows and stations had comments by celebrities on the alleged Whitney incident but all showed snippets of what was actually said to prove whatever their bias. Gloria Estefan was shown on Entertainment Tonight and she basically said, "You should never carry it." On another station they showed her full statement and she said [paraphrased], that it's commonplace and you just shouldn't carry it. Queen Latifah's comments were cut very short on ET, but on another station, she was shown expressing her annoyance and challenged the media to wait for the facts. She said, "Who knows if it was even hers?" and added that the American Music Awards should not be used to put Whitney on trial. Garth Brooks' comments were ignored by most stations, which is odd. But he said, "Whitney is a classy lady and is always very nice to me. She is innocent until proven guilty."