Wiz Khalifa sentenced to nine months in prison by Romanian court
Rapper Wiz Khalifa performing in Boston during the Boston Urban Music Project, August 7, 2010. Photo source: Weekly Dig - Wiz Khalifa via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced in absentia to nine months in prison by a Romanian court, following an appeal over a drug possession case originating from a 2024 festival performance. Khalifa, who has not publicly commented on the final sentencing, previously apologized on social media following the 2024 incident, stating he “didn’t mean any disrespect” to the country.
A Romanian appellate court has sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in prison for smoking a joint on stage—a case that highlights the widening gap between normalization of cannabis in the West and prohibition in Eastern Europe.
The ruling, handed down by the Constanța Court of Appeal on December 18, 2025, marks a significant escalation from a previous lower court decision. In April, the rapper—born Cameron Jibril Thomaz—was initially ordered to pay a criminal fine of 3,600 lei (approximately $830). However, Romanian prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) successfully appealed the “lenient” fine, pushing for incarceration.
The clash of cultures
The sentencing stems from Khalifa’s appearance at the “Beach, Please!” festival in July 2024. Despite Romania’s notoriously strict drug laws, the “Black and Yellow” artist performed while visibly consuming cannabis. In their written reasoning, the appellate judges described the rapper’s actions as an “ostentatious act” that sent a “message of normalization of illegal conduct” to the predominantly young audience.
Under Romanian law, cannabis remains a high-risk substance. While Khalifa was detained with 18.5 grams of herb, the court’s primary focus was the symbolic nature of the act. The sentencing of an American icon to prison time—even in absentia—serves as a stern warning from the Romanian judiciary against the perceived “Westernization” of drug culture.
Will he serve time?
Despite the prison term, Khalifa is unlikely to see the inside of a Romanian cell. As a U.S. citizen in a state where cannabis is legal, extradition for a non-violent, minor drug possession charge is virtually non-existent. While there has been no official declaration, some international legal experts interpret the sentence as a de facto “persona non grata” status, effectively discouraging the artist from returning to Romania.
Wiz Khalifa has long made cannabis part of his public persona, frequently sharing it across his social feeds. He took that image a step further in 2016 by launching his own cannabis brand—one that’s now pushing beyond the U.S. and into Europe.
Yet his case also serves as a high-profile reminder for the “cannabis traveler”: despite the broader trend toward legalization, local laws remain sovereign and often unforgiving. For anyone who uses cannabis, checking its legal status before traveling abroad isn’t just smart—it’s essential.
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