Whitney Houston Gets Off Easy in Marijuana Bust

Houston was charged with marijuana possession when authorities at Hawaii's Keahole-Kona International Airport discovered a half-ounce of the illegal drug in her bags before she boarded a plane headed for San Francisco. Both she and her husband, Bobby Brown, boarded the plane and left the island before police arrived.

Joseph Florenda, the judge in the Kona district court where Houston is to be tried, has determined that the case can be dismissed and Houston's record cleared if several conditions are met. The conditions under which Houston will be exempted from the maximum possible penalty (30 days in jail and a $1000 fine) include a $1000 contribution to the Hawaii State General Fund, a $25 contribution to the Criminal Victim's Compensation Fund, and a $3000 donation to Big Island Wave Riders Against Drugs, which will be made in lieu of community service. The long-time star must also submit to drug testing or evaluation if Florenda feels it is necessary and must also remain free of legal trouble.

Houston voluntarily submitted to drug tests before the case to show that there were no problems, and though tabloids have run stories to the contrary, it appears as though Whitney's absence from the recent Grammy awards and several other no-shows has nothing to do with a purported drug problem.