Security guards found marijuana on singer Whitney Houston at an airport in Hawaii, according to a newspaper report in the US.

The Tribune-Herald of Hilo, Hawaii, claims a security officer found the drug on 11 January when he asked the star to open her bag for inspection at Keahole-Kona International Airport.

The bag was seized, but Houston, 36, is alleged to have walked away when guards tried to detain her, police lieutenant Robert Hickcox told the newspaper.

The guards, who are employed by a private company, can only arrest passengers for crimes related to airport security.

He added that her United Airlines flight to San Francisco departed 45 minutes before police arrived, and that police now plan to refer the case to the Hawaii County prosecutor's office - a process which could take a month.

The newspaper claimed Hawaii County Police Department's daily bulletin noted 15.2 grams of marijuana was seized at 1428 local time on Tuesday, but it did not identify a suspect.

Possession of 15 grams could lead to up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, it added.

Houston has been one of the most successful recording artists of the 1980s and 1990s, and her current album, My Love Is Your Love, is nominated for four Grammy awards at next month's ceremony. She also has three nominations in Monday's American Music Awards.

She has also starred in films, most famously 1992's The Bodyguard, and 1995's Waiting To Exhale. She is married to 1980s rap star Bobby Brown.

Hawaii police declined to comment on the claims, and representatives in the UK and US were unavailable for comment.