American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis on stage during a music festival last year. The ruling by an appeals court overturned a previous fine, mandating that the artist, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril, serve his sentence in custody. The conviction stems from his admission to smoking a joint during his performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti.

Prosecutors initially charged Jibril with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use after police briefly detained him following the July 2024 concert. Investigators stated he was found with over 18 grams of cannabis and consumed an additional amount during his set. The Constanța Court of Appeal deemed the rapper’s actions an “ostentatious act” that sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct.”

Judges highlighted the artist’s prominent position as a music performer at a festival popular with young people. They argued that his public consumption of an “artisanal cigarette” in front of a predominantly youthful audience encouraged drug use among this demographic. The court’s decision emphasized the perceived negative influence of his behavior on impressionable attendees.

Following the incident, Jibril posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating he did not intend to offend Romania and that authorities had been respectful. He expressed a desire to return but without cannabis. At the time of the sentencing, it remained unclear if Jibril was even in Romania, as he had recently been seen performing in California.

Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha described the sentence as “unusually harsh” and expressed skepticism about the likelihood of extradition. He pointed to the rapper’s financial resources and international connections, as well as Romania’s limited leverage in extradition matters. Zaha suggested that even with a formal request to the United States, Jibril is unlikely to serve time in Romania.

Wiz Khalifa, known for hits like “Black and Yellow” and “See You Again,” has frequently been pictured smoking cannabis on social media and launched his own marijuana brand in 2016. While cannabis use is legal for recreational and medical purposes in some U.S. states, it remains illegal under federal law, creating a complex legal landscape for the artist.

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