American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis during a live performance last year.
The Constanța Court of Appeal overturned an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession, ruling that Khalifa, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril, must serve the sentence in custody.
The court described his on-stage act as “ostentatious,” warning that it could normalise illegal behaviour and encourage drug use among young people.
The incident occurred at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinești on July 13, 2024, when Khalifa smoked a joint in front of the audience.
Police briefly detained him after the concert and prosecutors charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use, noting that he had more than 18 grams of cannabis.
Khalifa was sentenced in absentia while performing in California earlier this week.
He shared clips from home on social media, apologising for offending Romania and promising to avoid using cannabis on stage in the future.
Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told that extradition from the United States is unlikely, calling the sentence “unusually harsh” considering Khalifa’s wealth and the legal status of cannabis in parts of the US.
The rapper, known for hits like Black and Yellow and See You Again, also operates a marijuana brand launched in 2016.
While cannabis is legal in some US states, it remains illegal under federal law.
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