Wiz Khalifa sentenced to nine months in Romanian jail over on-stage cannabis use
American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis during a music festival performance last year. The Constanța Court of Appeal overturned an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession, replacing it with a custodial sentence. The ruling was issued in absentia, as the rapper was not in Romania at the time.
Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril, admitted to smoking a joint during his performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinești in July 2024. Police briefly detained him after the show, and prosecutors charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use. Investigators reported that Jibril had over 18 grams of cannabis and consumed additional amounts on stage.
In their written judgment, the appeal court said the earlier fine did not reflect the seriousness of the act. Judges described the incident as an “ostentatious act” that sent a “message of normalisation of illegal conduct,” particularly concerning given the festival’s largely young audience. The court added that the rapper encouraged drug use by consuming cannabis in front of predominantly young attendees.
Despite the ruling, Wiz Khalifa has continued performing internationally, including a recent show in California with rapper Gunna, and has shared updates from his home via Twitch and social media. He previously stated on X that he did not intend to offend Romania and noted that authorities treated him respectfully. “I’ll be back soon,” he wrote, “but without a big ass joint next time.”
Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha said the likelihood of the sentence being enforced is very low, calling the ruling “unusually harsh.” He noted that the US is unlikely to extradite the rapper due to his status, wealth, and the differing legal approach to cannabis.
Wiz Khalifa, a ten-time Grammy nominee known for hits such as Black and Yellow, See You Again, and Young, Wild & Free, has long associated his image with cannabis use and launched his own marijuana brand in 2016. While cannabis is legal for recreational or medical use in some US states, it remains illegal in Romania and under US federal law.
#UTVAfrica#
