The confinement properties of a low‐&bgr; (average) potassium plasma produced by contact ionization in a spindle cusp magnetic field were investigated. In this configuration,ne≊108–1010cm−3,Te≊Ti≊0.2 eV, and the ions are weakly magnetized. Electron and ion densities, space potentials, and plasma flow velocities were measured in the ring and point cusps. The leak width of the escaping plasma was measured over a wide range of magnetic field strengths and neutral pressures. The dependence of the leak width on neutral pressure and magnetic field strength is accounted for by a simple model in which the plasma streams out of the cusps along the magnetic field lines while diffusing across the magnetic field due to the combined effects of neutral‐particle collisions and Bohm diffusion. Measurements of broadband plasma noise suggest the presence of ion acoustic wave turbulence.