Wiz Khalifa sentenced to nine months in Romania for cannabis on stage

A Romanian appeals court on Thursday sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail for drug possession, finalizing a case tied to his 2024 performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti. The Constanța Court of Appeal’s ruling follows prosecutors’ appeal of an earlier fine and comes as Romania enforces strict drug laws that carry prison terms for cannabis offenses on personal-use grounds.

Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after reports that he smoked cannabis on stage at the seaside festival in Constanța County. Prosecutors said he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed some on stage in front of a large audience, much of it young. The case drew international attention given the rapper’s global profile and the attention surrounding a well-known festival scene on the Romanian coast.

An April ruling by a lower court in Constanța County issued Khalifa a 3,600 lei ($830) fine for illegal possession of dangerous drugs, but prosecutors appealed the decision and sought a harsher punishment. The Court of Appeal overturned that fine, opting instead for a custodial sentence, stating that the artist’s conduct sent a message normalizing illegal drug use and that he performed at a festival with a large youth audience. The decision is final.

Romania treats cannabis as illegal, with possession for personal use punishable by three months to two years in prison or a fine. The case has raised questions about how foreign entertainers are treated under Romania’s stringent drug laws and whether authorities would pursue extradition, given that Khalifa is a U.S. citizen who does not reside in Romania.

Legal observers noted that extradition requests are not straightforward in cases involving visiting performers. Vlad Zaha, a Romanian criminologist, told BBC News that there is little-to-no chance the United States would extradite Khalifa in this instance, citing the lack of leverage and the legal-political context surrounding cannabis in the U.S. and the limited negotiation power Romania holds. He described the sentence as unusually harsh for a performer and for personal-use possession, though he acknowledged that Romanian courts can apply strict penalties in high-profile cases.

The artist, known for songs such as Black and Yellow, See You Again and Young, Wild & Free, has long been pictured publicly with cannabis culture and even launched his own marijuana brand in 2016. Cannabis remains illegal at the federal level in the United States, even as several states have legalized it for medical or recreational use. Khalifa has continued to perform internationally, including a recent appearance in California with Gunna, and has shared posts from home on social media after the incident.

Khalifa later commented in a social-media post that he did not intend to offend Romania and hinted at returning to perform again, with a light-hearted note about avoiding large joints next time. The court’s decision adds to a broader European conversation about drug enforcement, celebrity conduct and cross-border legal accountability for actions taken during performances.