Wiz Khalifa sentenced to nine months in Romanian jail after on-stage cannabis incident

American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian appeals court after admitting to smoking cannabis on stage during his performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinești in July 2024. The latest ruling overturns an earlier financial penalty and replaces it with a custodial sentence issued in absentia.

Authorities stated that the artist, real name Thomaz Cameron Jibril, possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed an additional amount during the live show. Judges argued that the act sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct,” particularly given the festival’s largely young audience.

The court described the incident as “ostentatious,” noting the influence and visibility of a globally recognised performer appearing at a major event. Wiz Khalifa was not present at the hearing and continues to appear publicly. Earlier this week, he performed in California alongside Gunna and later shared livestream clips from home across Twitch and social platforms.

After the 2024 incident, he publicly wrote that he did not intend to offend Romanian authorities, adding that officials treated him respectfully and released him following questioning.

Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told BBC News that extradition remains unlikely due to limited diplomatic leverage, differing cannabis policy landscapes, and the artist’s US legal standing. While cannabis is legal recreationally in some US states, it remains illegal at the federal level, and fully illegal in Romania.

Wiz Khalifa, known for hits including ‘Black and Yellow’, ‘See You Again’, and ‘Young, Wild & Free’ — has long aligned himself with cannabis culture and launched his own marijuana brand in 2016. As of now, the artist has not issued a public statement regarding the new sentence.

Original reporting: BBC News