Houston Off the Hook

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/29/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The case against Whitney Houston, who was stopped at a Hawaiian airport in January for allegedly carrying 15 grams of marijuana in her bag, has been dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence, say reports. Houston's spokesperson, Nancy Seltzer, had no comment for New York's Daily News, which did note that prosecutors have sent the case back to authorities for further investigation. (Houston had been detained at airport security, but left the scene to board her plane before police arrived.) Houston could have faced up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 penalty, but unless more evidence is uncovered, nothing is likely to happen. Lately, Houston's erratic public behavior has fueled speculation that she has a substance abuse problem. Her handlers deny that such a problem exists.