Paris Hilton's Handbag "Drug" Stash  10/9/06

Aspiring pop star Paris Hilton is under fire after being snapped with what appears to be a sachet of cannabis in her make-up bag.

The 25-year-old Stars are Blind socialite was pictured in British newspaper The News Of The World rifling through her bag with a transparent pouch purportedly containing the drug nestling amid her lipsticks.

An onlooker tells the newspaper, "She didn't really care if anyone saw it.

Paris had her bag open for quite a while as she applied lip gloss.

"There were a few shocked faces around her but she carried on chatting away."

Hilton's publicist Elliot Mintz says, "Things are not always as they appear.

It would be unfair to draw any conclusions based solely on these photos."